Bali Bomb Case Starts in Guantanamo 18 Years After Capture

Flags fly at half-staff in honor of the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, at Camp Justice, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, on Aug. 29, 2021. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba—Three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center had their first day in court Monday after being held by the United States for 18 years without charge in connection with the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other plots in Southeast Asia.

Indonesian prisoner Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, and two Malaysians started their arraignment before a military commission at a nearly five-hour hearing inside the U.S. base in Cuba, facing charges that include murder, conspiracy, and terrorism.