Jakarta - Three suspected Islamic militants, including a Singaporean national, went on trial on Tuesday in Indonesia for allegedly plotting to bomb a cafe and kill a Christian priest. Prosecutors said the defendants plotted to attack a cafe in the West Sumatra town of Bukittinggi and kill a Christian priest in West Java in 2005.
Both plans failed to materialize but they could face death if found guilty of the charges.
Prosecutors said one of the defendants, Singaporean citizen Muhammad Hasan bin Zaynudin, claimed to have met al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and undergone basic military training in Afghanistan.
The three are among 10 suspected members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant network arrested in June and July during raids in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province.
Police seized 20 assembled bombs, dozens of kilograms of potassium chlorate and other explosive materials as well as several hand grenades during the raids.
Seven other suspects were due to stand trial in three separate courtrooms on Tuesday but judges postponed the hearings.
Police said they believed Muhammad was a close aide to Malaysian bomb-maker Azahari bin Husin, who was killed in a shootout with police at his East Java province hideout in late 2005.
Counter-terrorism police are continuing a nationwide manhunt for Malaysian bomb-maker Noordin Mohammad Top, who allegedly leads a breakaway faction of JI and is believed to be a key player behind most major bombings in Indonesia.
Indonesia, with the world's largest Muslim population, has been hit by a string of attacks blamed on JI since 2000, including bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 and 2005, and the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004.
The country's anti-terror police have arrested some 300 militants in recent years, but authorities say the threat of attacks remains.
