JAKARTA, March 6 (UPI) -- An Indonesian court sentenced the mastermind of a 2-year bombing campaign to 18 years in prison on terrorism charges.
Pepi Fernando, 33, was found guilty of planning a bombing campaign against Indonesia's president, a church in Jakarta and several moderate Islamic leaders, a report in the Jakarta Globe newspaper said.
The campaign, which included letter bombs, killed one man and injured several others, including a policeman.
Another of Fernando's associates, former Global TV cameraman Mochammad Firdaus, received a sentence of 3 years, 4 months in jail for his involvement in the bombing attacks in 2010 and 2011, the Globe said.
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Prosecutors in the yearlong trial at the West Jakarta District Court alleged that Pepi, a graduate from Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, was the leader of a group of 16 people.
The president was a target because the group believed he wasn't upholding true Islamic law, prosecutors said.
For Fernando's part in the attacks, prosecutors had sought the death sentence.
Targets included the Liberal Islam Network office in Utan Kayu, the National Narcotics Agency office, the studio of musician Ahmad Dhani and Serpong Cathedral.
Investigators said that on two occasions the group planted bombs intended to kill Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Globe report said.
In a 2010 attempt on the president, the group hid a remote-controlled bomb in a thermos left near a traffic light in Jakarta. However, the vehicle carrying the president's never passed by, the court was told.
Another attempt last year was aborted when the bombers fled after spotting a police patrol.
Fernando's lawyers said they would decide about pursuing an appeal after discussions in the coming week with their client.
His lawyer, Asludin Hatjani said Fernando thought the verdict too harsh, the Globe report said.
"We hoped for a lesser sentence," Hatjani said.
"One reason for this is that Pepi has been cooperative and truthful throughout the proceedings. The judges acknowledged this today."
The group also sent bombs in books sent in the mail to pop singers, heads of educational institutes, research centers and a former official of the government's anti-terror organization Densus 88.
The only fatality was a garbage collector who died when a bomb detonated on a bridge.
A policeman lost part of an arm during an unsuccessful attempt to defuse a bomb.
Fernando's sentence comes after convicted terrorist suspect cleric Abu Bakar Bashir last week said he would seek a judicial review of his case in which he was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Last June, Bashir, 73, was found guilty of financially supporting the training of a militant group in the jungles of the remote Aceh province.
Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, has a population of around 4.5 million and is economically important to the archipelago nation because it has substantial natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
Police say Bashir has links to the proscribed terrorist organization, Jemaah Islamiah, as well as involvement in the deadly 2002 bombings in the resort Bali in which 200 people died.
Bashir said he would continue fighting despite the Supreme Court's decision last week to reinstate his 15-year sentence. A lower court had reduced the sentence to nine years because of technical issues and time Bashir had spent in jail prior to his original sentencing.
Earlier this year the U.S. State Department put Bashir's organization, Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid, on its list of proscribed terrorist organizations. Sanctions prevent U.S. citizens and businesses from doing business with its main leaders.
