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Last Updated: Tuesday, 9 May 2006, 06:03 GMT 07:03 UK
Trial of Bali 2005 accused opens
By Rachel Harvey
BBC News, Jakarta

Police escort Anif Solchanudin to the trial in Denpasar
The four are accused of different roles in attacks
Four men accused of involvement in the plot to bomb three restaurants on the Indonesian island of Bali have gone on trial charged with terrorism offences.

The attacks in September 2005 left 23 people dead, including the suicide bombers.

The suspects are accused variously of transporting explosives and providing support to the operation's alleged leader, Noordin Mohammad Top.

The Malaysian-born fugitive is at the head of Indonesia's most wanted list.

Different roles

Each of the four men on trial in Bali is believed by Indonesian police to have played a slightly different role in the extremist Muslim group accused of organising the attacks.

Anif Solchanudin allegedly trained to be a suicide bomber himself. Mohammad Cholily is accused of being a trainee bomb maker.

Abdul Aziz is charged with hiding the group's leader, Noordin Mohammad Top, and Dwi Widiyarto is thought to have recorded a video of Top threatening further attacks against western targets.

The men are being tried under Indonesia's anti-terror laws, which in theory carry a maximum penalty of death.

But given that none of the defendants are accused of playing a direct role in the bombings, it is thought more likely that they will face jail terms if found guilty.

Meanwhile the hunt for Noordin Top is continuing. A police raid last month resulted in the killing of two of his accomplices and the arrest of two others.

But not for the first time, Indonesia's most wanted man evaded capture.

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