January 14, 2009	Wednesday	Muharram 16, 1430

JAKARTA, Jan 13: Ten suspected militants went on trial on Tuesday in an Indonesian court for allegedly killing a Christian schoolteacher and plotting to bomb a cafe.

The defendants, including a Singaporean who allegedly met Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, face sentences of up to life in prison if convicted on charges of illegal possession of explosives, murder, plotting a terrorist attack and harbouring fugitives.

The men are suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, which is accused of carrying out several suicide bombings against Western targets in Indonesia since 2002, including bombings on the resort island of Bali, their indictment said.

The men formed an “evil conspiracy and carried out violence that created a widespread atmosphere of terror and fear,” prosecutor Totok Bambang told the court.—AP