Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The three attackers of Bali were executed 15 minutes after midnight on Sunday, and protest demonstrations began immediately on the part of Indonesian Islamic groups.

For security reasons, the Indonesian authorities had decided to conduct the execution inside the prison of Nusakambangan, where the three were detained, and not in the other places that the local newspapers had speculated about in recent weeks.

The bodies of Amrozi, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas were given to their families on Sunday, and during the funeral rites (in the photo, a moment in the funeral for Samudra) there were various gestures of vehement protest against the government and the execution of the three, whom many call martyrs of Islam.

In view of the execution, various groups of Islamic militants had announced violence and protests. Within twenty-four hours of the execution, supporters of the three attackers staged demonstrations in the villages of Serang, Lamongan, and Tenggulun, where the families of the terrorists lived. The Indonesian police had to intervene to maintain order.

The lawyers of the three Bali attackers stated that on the occasion of the funerals, no demonstrations were planned, and instead announced that these would take place during the week. The Muslim Defense Team has also revealed that it wants to take legal action against the prosecutor, under the accusation of serious violations of human rights. These facts, together with statements and threats from various representatives of the Islamic world, are making the climate on the island more tense. Reiterated threats of attack have also been made to the Australian and United States embassies in Jakarta. The police are in a state of alert, and are protecting sensitive targets all over the island, like hotels and tourist spots. On Sunday, some arrests were carried out and special police teams were out in force patrolling the areas around the places where the three executed men lived.

Security analysts say that the country does not run the risk of serious attacks, because the main terrorist group working in Indonesia, and connected to Al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah, is in a condition of serious weakness. Nonetheless, there have been serious controversies advanced by certain sources in the government because of the political exploitation of the execution. Representatives of the executive branch have criticized television stations and press outlets of giving too much publicity to the event, and raising the tension. The constant delays in the execution had exposed the government to numerous criticisms. The first death sentences were handed down five years ago; Amrozi was condemned on August 7, Samudra on September 10, and Mukhlas on November 2, 2003.

Today, in the attempt to quell the controversy and avoid an escalation of the violence, the Indonesian council of ulemas has also intervened. President Umar Shihab has stated that the three Bali attackers "did not die as svuhada [martyrs]. Those who kill other people cannot die as martyrs, unless it is in war for the sake of religion. But we are not at war, so we cannot kill."