Americans targeted

last updated 8 January 2015

Bali, Indonesia

Americans were the intended victims of last month’s bombing at a Bali nightclub, in which nearly 200 people died, one of the bombers said this week. Amrozi, the man police arrested last week after tracing a van packed with explosives to him, said he built the bomb because America was oppressing Islam by invading Iraq and Afghanistan. “He and his group wanted to kill as many Americans as possible,” said I Made Pastika, the Indonesian detective who interrogated him. “After he found out that many Australians were killed [instead], he said he was unhappy.” Amrozi studied under Abu Bakar Bashir, the leader of the Islamic militant group Jamaah Islamiyah, and has had dealings with Hambali, the group’s liaison to al Qaida.