Trial begins for Bali bomb suspect

Umar Patek's trial follows his nine-year flight from justice that took him from the Philippines to Pakistan. Photo / AP

Heavy security is expected for the first day of the terrorism trial of alleged Bali bomber Umar Patek as authorities prepare to lay out their case against the high-profile militant for offences dating back more than a decade.

Patek will face the West Jakarta District Court today when he will be indicted on six charges, including premeditated murder in relation to the 2002 Bali bombings.

The 45-year-old is accused of building the devices used in the bombing a decade ago of the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar in the popular nightclub area of Kuta, killing 202 people including 88 Australians.

Patek spent almost 10 years at the top of South-East Asia's most wanted list before his capture in January last year in Abbottabad, the same Pakistani town where US forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.

He is the last high-profile member of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) - the group behind the Bali bombings - to face justice over what remains Indonesia's deadliest terrorist attack.

His trial comes after the conviction last year of JI co-founder and the spiritual leader of the jihadist movement in Indonesia, Abu Bakar Bashir, following the discovery of a secret paramilitary training camp in Aceh.

Bashir served almost 26 months behind bars for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings but that conviction was later overturned.

Like Bashir's trial, the case against Patek will be conducted amid heavy security, with authorities on high alert for the possibility of reprisal attacks.

Patek also faces murder charges over his alleged role in a series of bombings of churches in Indonesia in 2000 that killed 18 people.

The murder charges in relation to Bali and the 2000 attacks carry a maximum penalty of death, and a minimum of 20 years in prison.

He will also face charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, harbouring information on terrorism, possession of explosives and firearms, and two counts of document fraud.

The trial is expected to run until late May or early June.