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JAKARTA - THE executions of three Islamic militants in Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings would not likely trigger revenge attacks since the groups backing them are now too weak, a terror expert said on Wednesday.
Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra are set to be executed by firing squad for playing key roles in the 2002 attacks, which left 202 people dead.
Indonesia's top court has ordered a review into its decision to reject appeals by the bombers, which is due to begin next Monday and is likely to delay their pending executions, officials have said.
Sidney Jones, from the Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group, said she expected the executions would go ahead despite moves by the trio's lawyers to stall them.
'I think that all things being equal the government would probably prefer not to have to go through with it but I think they probably will,' she told a panel discussion on terrorism.
'I think there's a question of what impact the executions will have - and I think probably not that much. I certainly don't think they're going to prompt some sort of terrorist retaliation,' said Mr Jones.
'I think they'll be declared martyrs by their colleagues and I think there will be an effort to get lots of people at their burial, but I don't think there will be major outbreak of activity,' she said.
'Amongst other things, I think all these groups are too weak at the moment.'
After a series of deadly bombings in recent years - most recently, a triple suicide bombing in Bali in October 2005 that left 20 bystanders dead - Indonesia has made a large number of arrests and successfully curbed attacks. -- AFP
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