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CANBERRA - Convicted Bali bomber Ali Imron says he made a terrible mistake in helping kill 202 people and now wants to stop others heading down the path to terrorism.
Imron expressed remorse and was jailed for life, unlike other Bali bombers including his own brother Mukhlas who
were sentenced to death.
"I will continue to ask for forgiveness from the victims and their families, from anyone affected by violence in which I was involved. I will never stop asking for forgiveness," he told ABC Radio.
Imron admitted a key role in the October 2002 Bali terrorist attack in which bombs in the island's nightclub district killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
"After we assembled the Sari Club bomb and loaded it onto the van, I installed the detonator as well as the detonators for the vest bomb and the for the US consulate bomb," he explained through an interpreter.
"I then taught the two suicide bombers how to trigger the explosions. I was the one who delivered the US consulate bomb to its destination and I ended up driving the van to the Sari club after discovering the suicide bombers couldn't drive, handing over the vehicle at the last moment."
Under Indonesia's programme to use contrite terrorists to dissuade others who might be embarking down the extremist path, Imron is allowed out of jail to help police and even to give a media interview.
He said he knew what the terrorists thought.
"I know how they will try to get their weapons and explosives. I know what kind of place they will target for what kind of action and I know how they would carry that out," he said.
"I know how to hide from the police on the run, how the terrorists recruit new members and who is most vulnerable to the radical message. I am giving all this information to police so I can stop violence and terrorism."
Imron said he had been writing a book about his ideas and telling family, friends and others he was wrong to carry out the attacks.
He said he prepares cassettes for his family's Islamic school in East Java spreading the anti-terrorism message.
That's in direct competition with Mukhlas who spends his time disseminating the pro-terror message.
"That is true. Mukhlas and I both send letters and cassettes to al-Islam (school)," he said.
"It's a tough thing to deal with personally and tough for the teachers there because I ask the students to follow my example while Mukhlas calls them to carry out violent jihad.
"We will have to wait and see who wins this battle for influence."
- AAP
