Two boys face 23 murder charges for allegedly lighting school fire

MALAYSIA - Two teenagers have been charged with 23 counts of murder in Malaysia for allegedly lighting a fire that killed 21 children at an Islamic school in Kuala Lumpur in September.

Two adults also died in the blaze that engulfed Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz religious school in the early hours of September 14.

The two suspects, both aged 16, haven’t entered a plea, according to state news agency Bernama. In Malaysia, a murder charge carries an automatic death sentence, but in cases involving juveniles, the maximum penalty is prison. The boys were also charged with drug-related offenses, as were four other suspects. One 16-year-old was released without charge due to lack of evidence, deputy public prosecutor Othman Abdullah said. Two days after the fire, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced special funding of RM30 million ($7 million) to upgrade religious schools across the country.

Authorities have conducted fire safety inspections at 104 of 402 registered religious schools in the state of Selangor, according to Bernama. Several were found to have faulty wiring and no fire extinguishers, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman was quoted as saying.

Authorities are also inspecting a number of unregistered schools, he said.

Sharifuddin Musa’s son Mohammad Shahir was inside the building when it was allegedly set alight.

The 11-year-old survived the blaze but is still in intensive care. He suffered internal injuries, broken bones and burns to 20% of his body in the fire, Musa told CNN.

Musa was at the court yesterday to find out “who was involved” in the crime.

“We want to know the details. We want to know what is the action to be taken against the perpetrators. I will follow the proceedings.”

“I’m very sad because there are so many involved,” Musa said.

He said his son still wants to study at the religious school. “We see that since he studied there, there have been a lot of changes in him. He is happy and has many friends. We can see that he could manage himself better at the school. So the family is encouraging him.” (CNN.COM)