Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesian security forces have been put on high alert for possible backlashes following the execution of three Islamic militants on Saturday.
They were executed for the 2002 Bali bombings. Thousands of supporters had spilled into the streets protesting the execution.
Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim, and Ali Ghufron were executed just before midnight, several kilometres from their high security prison.
Their bodies were later flown in to their native villages for burial.
The October 12, 2002 attacks were allegedly funded by the Al-Qaeda and were carried out by members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah.
The bombings were apparently meant to punish the US and its Western allies for alleged atrocities in Afghanistan and other places.
The protesters regarded the bombers as heroes and not mass murderers because of their proclaimed Jihad against the enemies of Islam.
Speaking in the days prior to the execution, Islamic expert Azyumardi Azra said the government had no option but to put the Bali bombers to death because it would send a message to other extremists that Indonesia was committed to putting an end to terror.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim majority nation, won praise in recent years for rounding up hundreds of militants and it has been three years since a major attack.
The men's defence lawyers had argued that an execution would be unlawful and that the men's legal rights had been violated.
But Azra argued that the majority of Indonesian Muslims would accept the bombers' execution as they had been proven guilty of committing their violent crimes.
(with inputs from agencies)
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