Jobless man with terrorist-related items jailed

KUALA LUMPUR: An unemployed man was sentenced to four years' jail by the High Court, here, yesterday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing items related to the Daesh terrorist group, last year.

Judge Datuk Mohd Sofian Abd Razak meted out the sentence on Mohamad Saufi Ibrahim, 22, for possessing a Daesh flag, two books titled 'Tarbiyah Jihadiyah: Volumes 1-6' and 'Volumes 7-11' and 10 images in his mobile phone of acts of terrorism.

The court ordered the accused to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest, July 15, 2016.

Mohd Sofian said the offence committed by Mohamad Saufi was very serious, as it could jeopardise the country's security.

"When it comes to the phase of wanting to know, having interest and collecting Daesh-related items, it can lead to one becoming a follower and be willing to champion the group's ideology to greater extent, ultimately sacrificing one's life.

"Had the authorities not caught the accused, we wouldn't know the extent to which the accused might have gone, and the greatest fear is he would have become a Daesh follower," the judge said.

Mohamad Saufi was alleged to have committed the offence at Tanjong Bungah Apartment, Tanjong Bungah, Penang, at 3.15pm, July 15, 2016. The offence under Section 130JB (1) (a) of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of up to seven years or a fine, and a possible forfeiture of the items seized.

His lawyer, Mohd Imran Mohd Farouk pleaded to the court for leniency, saying his client was young and had regretted the act, promising not to repeat it.

DPP Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor, however, requested for a heavy punishment, taking into account the growing number of terrorist acts.

Based on the facts of the case, in a raid conducted at a housing unit by the authorities, several items, including books and a mobile phone containing information related to terrorists were found.

Further checks revealed the items were related to the terror groups, Daesh and Al-Qaeda. Bernama