The 2002 Bali bombings killed 202 people and remain the deadliest terrorist attack in Indonesia's history.
Key Facts
- Total killed
- 202 people
- Injured
- 209 people
- Australian victims
- 88 people
- Indonesian victims
- 38 people
- Number of bombs detonated
- 3
- Perpetrator group
- Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamist militant network operating across Southeast Asia, planned the attack targeting Western tourists in Bali. The group's ideology sought to establish an Islamic state and was driven by anti-Western sentiment. Key operatives including bomb-maker Azahari Husin and field commanders coordinated the operation, selecting Kuta's busy nightclub district as the target.
On 12 October 2002, three bombs were detonated in and around the tourist district of Kuta, Bali. A suicide bomber wearing a vest bomb struck inside a nightclub, followed immediately by a large car bomb outside nearby venues. A third, smaller bomb was simultaneously detonated near the US consulate in Denpasar. The blasts killed 202 people and wounded 209 others.
Indonesian authorities launched an extensive investigation resulting in convictions of multiple Jemaah Islamiyah members; three were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in 2008. The attack severely damaged Bali's tourism industry and prompted Indonesia to adopt stronger counter-terrorism legislation and cooperation with international security agencies. Mastermind Azahari Husin was killed in a police raid in 2005.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Azahari Husin (bomb-maker), Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra, Mukhlas, Dulmatin.
Side B
1 belligerent