The alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings will face trial in Guantanamo Bay in September, about 22 years after he was captured.

Encep Nurjaman, widely known as Hambali, was the reputed head of the Indonesian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah, which is linked to Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia.

This group orchestrated the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali, resulting in 202 casualties, among them 88 Australians, as well as the 2003 attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, killing 12 individuals.

Nurjaman and two other men were arrested in Thailand in 2003 before being held in a secret CIA prison network for three years.

The trio were transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006.

The US Department of Defence has announced pre-trial proceedings for Nurjaman will take place over two weeks from September 8.

A military commission will conduct proceedings at the Expeditionary Legal Complex in the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Nurjaman is facing a series of serious charges, which were laid by the US in 2021.

The US Department of Defense stated that the charges comprised “conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing severe bodily harm, terrorism, attacking non-combatants, targeting civilian establishments, property destruction, and providing accessory assistance after the act, all breaching the laws of war.”

The pair pleaded guilty and testified against Nurjaman.

The US Department of Defence announced that they will be sent to Malaysia to spend another five years in prison. 

According to the UN Security Council, Nurjaman has a “long track record” of involvement in terrorist activities and first met the founders of Jemaah Islamiyah in the 1980s.

He then reportedly travelled to Afghanistan to train and fight with several Al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, before returning to Indonesia in the early 1990s.

He had been wanted by authorities in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the US.