Bali 'mastermind' charged

Indonesian prosecutors have handed to court indictments against nine more men accused of involvement in last year's Bali bombing, including the suspected mastermind, known as Mukhlas.

Mukhlas, whose real name is Ali Gufron, faces the death penalty if convicted under Indonesia's newly instituted anti-terror law.

Taught at an Islamic school

Older brother of Amrozi

Alleged operations chief of JI

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One of the other eight suspects, Hernianto, could also be sentenced to death, whilst the rest of the group - Herlambang, Musafak, Makmuri, M Najib Nawawi, Bambang Setiono, Budi Wibowo and Masykur Abdul Kadir - are accused of helping or hiding terrorists, a charge that carries up to 15 years in jail.

Their trials will start within two weeks.

Mukhlas' hearing has been hotly awaited. He is not only suspected of masterminding the entire Bali operation, but also admitted at a separate trial last week that he is the operations chief of regional militant group Jemaah Islamiah and that he knows Osama Bin Laden well.

JI is said to be agitating for a Muslim state across South-East Asia. The United States links the group with al-Qaeda.

Mukhlas is the older brother of two other Bali suspects, Amrozi and Ali Imron. The trial of Amrozi, who is accused of buying explosives and the van used in one of the bombings, has already started.