Indonesia mishandled the Bali bomber case, enabling three death-row inmates to foment an image as Islamic martyrs and raising security concerns, experts said Nov. 10.

The convicts urged retaliation for their pending deaths in countless TV interviews broadcast to a national audience before they were executed by firing squad early Nov. 9. Images of the men praying or meeting with relatives further fueled public sympathy.

During five years of legal battles, Imam Samudra, 38, and brothers Amrozi Nurhasyim, 47, and Ali Ghufron, 48, admitted planning and assisting the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali nightclub attacks that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, and allegedly funded by al-Qaida and carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah.

Critics accused authorities of repeatedly missing their deadlines for the highly anticipated executions, building expectations and keeping the militants in the media spotlight.