A Malaysian man was sentenced to death in neighbouring...

A Malaysian man was sentenced to death in neighbouring Indonesia for the bombing of a Jakarta shopping mall that the judge said aimed to stir up religious hatred.
The blast, on August 1, 2001, wounded several people including the bomber, Taufik bin Abdullah Halim, 26, who lost a leg when the device exploded while he was carrying it.
Prosecutors said Abdullah Halim and some Indonesian accomplices were plotting to attack Christians about to board a bus near Jakarta's bustling Atrium Mall.
"We decided to give the death penalty to the defendant," presiding judge Panusunan Harahap said. "It is because his actions...have caused terror and pitted followers of religion against each other."
The death penalty, carried out by firing squad, is rarely enforced in Indonesia.
Abdullah Halim, who was charged with using an explosive device, said he would appeal against the sentence. He said he did not deserve the death sentence as no one was injured except himself.
The explosion put the spotlight on ties between Muslim militants in Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic country, and predominantly Muslim Malaysia - links that have come under closer scrutiny in the wake of the U.S. war on terrorism.