There is fear and anger particularly in Australia, as the man who crafted the bombs that killed several hundred, Umar Patek, has been deradicalised in Indionesia.
Some 202 people from 21 nations were killed in the blasts on 12 October that year. However, it remains Indonesia’s deadliest terror attack.
Patek was accused of being a bombmaker for Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and spent almost a decade on the run. JI is a group inspired by al-Qaeda.
He was jailed for 20 years in 2012, serving just over half of his initial sentence.
Conversely, Indonesian authorities say he no longer poses a threat and is eligible for release. This is after a series of sentence reductions for good behaviour.
Jan Laczynski, an Australian who lost five friends in the bombings, said he was among those shocked and angry.
“This guy gets his life back again. For a lot of us we’ll never get our lives back again,” he said on Thursday.
“It’s dreadful. It’s wrong.”
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Further, he described it as “another kick in the guts” after last year’s release of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir. Abu Bakar, the alleged mastermind of the attacks, had served a sentence unrelated to the bombings.
Additionally, Mr. Csabi said it also brought fear. “You like to feel safe – we all do – and now I don’t feel as safe as I was.
“If they’ve still got the views of the hatred, then there is a great possibility that they could incite another bombing.”
The Australian government lobbied against Patek’s release. It says it will press Indonesian authorities to promise constant surveillance of him.
