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The chief explosive maker in the 2002 Bali bombings which killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians, has issued a chilling threat to Indonesians planning to take to the streets to protest their government. Convicted terrorist Umar Patek, who helped build the devastating car bomb that exploded outside two nightspots in the tourist hub of Kuta Beach, was released from jail in 2022 after serving 11 years of a 20-year sentence. Patek, a former member of the now-disbanded Jemaah Islamiah terror group, underwent a de-radicalisation program while behind bars. A few months later, Patek issued a bizarre threat to anti-government protesters rallying against low wages and financial perks for government MPs. The country was then rocked by further protests in major cities sparked by footage of a young motorcycle delivery driver being hit and killed by a police armoured vehicle. In an eerie video on social media, Patek addressed the protesters while standing in front of a camouflaged bag and appearing to wear a police-issue bulletproof vest. 'Those who will take part in the demonstration tomorrow, good. I support that. But don't resort to violence. Don't burn public facilities let alone loot anything,' he said. 'If anyone does that, I'll have no choice but to open this bag. Want to know what's inside?' The video ends with Patek's face in shadow and the caption 'to be continued'. Branding for Hedon Estate restaurant can be seen behind Patek, a company that donated coffee-making equipment to the former terrorist to help build his business, which was launched in East Java, 400km from Bali, in June. The video has appalled Australian Jan Laczynski, who lost five friends in the bombings, and claimed it glamourised Patek's terrorist past. 'To be making any sorts of threats, even joking about it, it's no joke to the families and friends of the 202 lost in Bali,' he told The Australian. 'It's hard to believe this person went through a deradicalisation program.' The sentiment was echoed in the comments of Patek's video, in which one person wrote: 'I'm afraid. If this person is angry, it's scary'. Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Institutions, Yusril Ihza Mahendra is investigating the post. The Bali bombing attackers targeted a tourist strip on a Saturday night in 2002, with the first explosion caused by a suicide bomber in Paddy's bar and the second by a bomb in a van parked outside the Sari Club. The explosions killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. Once one of the world's most wanted men, Patek left Bali just before the attacks and spent nine years on the run across Indonesia, the Philippines and Pakistan. He was released from jail in 2022 despite strong objections by Australia and a plea to the Indonesian government to make him serve his full sentence. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described him as 'abhorrent' and said his release would cause further distress to those Australians who endured the trauma of the bombings. But Indonesian authorities claim Patek was successfully reformed in prison and will be used to deter militants from other terrorist groups. Patek said his coffee roasting business Ramu was part of his healing process. 'I was known for hurting the world, but now I choose another way,' he said in a video posted on the company's social media earlier this year. 'The bitter taste used to destroy, now the bitterness heals. It's not just coffee, it's change, choosing a new life.
