• Umar Patek was sentenced to 20 years in 2012 for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings.
• His sentence has been reduced by five months to commemorate Indonesia’s independence day.
• A suicide bomber detonated his device inside Paddy’s Irish bar, killing 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, and 23 Britons.

One of the bombmakers in the Bali terror attack that killed 202 people could be released on parole this month after his sentence was reduced.

After being found guilty of assisting in the preparation of the bombs used to inflict mass murder at two tourist bars on the island in 2002, Umar Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012.

He was a member of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, and he was also convicted in connection with the Jakarta church bombings.

According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Patek’s sentence has been reduced by five months to commemorate Indonesia’s independence day, making him eligible for parole.

It’s one of several sentence reductions he’s received, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be granted parole.

A suicide bomber detonated his device inside Paddy’s Irish bar on October 12, 2002, killing 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, and 23 Britons.

A van stuffed with explosives was detonated seconds later at the nearby Sari Club, as people fled into the street.

Hundreds of people were severely burned during the attack, which overwhelmed local hospitals.

“They (Indonesia) informed us of that decision, and we informed them of our view of that decision,” Prime Minister Albanese said.

“They have a system whereby when anniversaries occur, quite often sentences are reduced and commuted for people.

“But when it comes to someone who’s committed such a heinous crime, a designer and maker of a bomb designed to kill people, to kill and maim, then we have a very strong view,” he said.

Mr Albanese stated that the potential release would cause additional distress to the victims’ families and that he would continue to lobby the Indonesian government on the issue.

Patek was imprisoned after fleeing for nine years with a $1 million reward on his head. He was finally apprehended in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed.

Three men were eventually executed for their roles in the attack.

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