The trial of an Islamic militant accused of taking part in the deadly bombings of two luxury hotels began Wednesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Amir Abdillah is facing numerous terrorism-related charges in connection with the July 17, 2009 bombings of the Ritz Carlton and J.W. Marriot hotels in Jakarta. The attacks killed seven people and wounded more than 50 others.
Prosecutors accuse Abdillah of being a member of an al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group led by Noordin Top, who has been linked to a number of deadly attacks in Indonesia, including the 2004 bombing on the Australia embassy.
Abdillah is also accused of taking part in a plot to kill Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The Malaysian-born Top was killed in a gunbattle with police last September, and many of his associates have either been killed or arrested since the 2009 twin hotel bombings, including a Saudi national who allegedly financed the attack.
Top was once linked to the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the 2002 bombing on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.
Some information for this report providedby AFP, AP and Reuters.
