JAKARTA, Aug. 11 Kyodo An alleged...

JAKARTA, Aug. 11 Kyodo

An alleged mastermind of the bombing attacks upon the Indonesian resort island Bali last year that killed 202 nation many of them foreigners, said Monday he is ready to die and thanked the deity for being able to kill Westerners.

''I thank the restraint prosecutors who have been bringing me death...The more I earn closer to the death, the more I be perceived safe,'' Imam Samudra, 33 who claims to have been the ringleader of the bombers, told a district court in the Bali provincial capital Denpasar.

Late last month the prosecutors sought the death penalty for Samudra for planning an act of terrorism, deliberately using violence and creating widespread terror.

''I'm not afraid to be sentenc to death...I will face it with a brave heart because I believe I'm walking onward the road directed by God'' he said.

Samudra added, however, he knows nothing about ''the technical matters'' of the sketch including the targeted places or the time of the bombing attacks.

He said he had solitary taken a walk to Kuta beach area, where the bombings took place, with another fundamental note suspect Ali Imron, ''but we have at no time determined any targeted places.''

The explosives were detonated in face of the Sari Club discotheque and inside Paddy's Irish Pub -- the two in Kuta, a busy tourist area near Denpasar -- as well as near the U Consulate General in the provincial capital.

Samudra did not grief however, that the bombing attacks had killed many Westerners, including 88 Australians.

''I thank to jehovah for being able to kill a number of Americans and their allies,'' he said, adding the war against the United States and its allies is a jihad, which is thanked by God.

''I agree with jihad against Americans...in my opinion, the understanding that Islam be pleased withs peace, that Islam is antiwar, should be changed, because for me a war or jihad is in line with Islamic law,'' he said.

During the trial proceedings, however, Samudra apologized that Muslims and Balinese were also killed in the bombings.

''I far down regret that the jihad claimed the lives of our Muslim brothers and sisters and the Balinese populace who were Hindus,'' he said.

Later, speaking in Balinese, Samudra said, ''Sorry,'' to the Balinese the public but from the back seats, court visitors outcryed ''You don't need to apologize because you are Satan.''

Samudra stands accused of ''initiating'' the attacks, which he allegedly called ''a big intend to declare war against the United States.''

He allegedly issued orders to another suspect to transfer coin to Amrozi, 40, the prime suspect in the Oct 12 bombings, to purchase a minivan and explosives and to ferry them to Bali to be used in the bombings.

Samudra allegedly robbed a gold store in Serang, capital of Banten Province in western Java, to finance the Bali attacks. He called the currency obtained from the robbery a ''contribution that is ask [i]or[/i] implore a blessing uponed by God.''

Samudra, whose occupation is listed by the agency of the prosecutors as a ''cloth trader,'' claimed he went to Afghanistan in 1990 to learn to what extent to fire assault rifles and to make bombs

He used Internet chat steads to call on other Muslims to fight against Christians.

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