An Indonesian court on Monday jailed an Islamic militant for life for his role in the Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people.

Suranto Abdul Ghoni, who prepared chemicals for the deadlier of the two bombs, is the fourth man to receive a life sentence. Three others have been sentenced to death for the attack on October 12, 2002.

"What the defendant has done constitutes an extraordinary crime and crime against humanity," said chief judge Made Sudia.

The bearded Ghoni, wearing a skullcap and a white shirt, was expressionless as the judge read the verdict.

Ghoni, 34, has admitted crushing chemicals for the bomb at the home of convicted bomber Amrozi in Java in September 2002 and taking four boxes of the powdered chemicals to Bali by bus.

He has told the court that until he arrived in the island he did not know what the chemicals were for. Amrozi, one of those sentenced to death, had told him they were for fertiliser.

Ghoni denied charges that he attended meetings to prepare the attack.

But he admitted helping pack explosive materials into a filing cabinet, which was placed inside the van that exploded outside the Sari Club. Another suicide bomb went off seconds earlier inside Paddy's Pub.

Agencies