Six claim trial to terror charges
IS militants face fine and up to 30 years in jail if found guilty
KUALA LUMPUR : The six IS militants who were arrested for allegedly making and testing bombs have all pleaded not guilty to their charges.
Dressed in white prison uniforms, some appeared calm as the charges were being read while the others appeared confused.
One of them, Mohd Anwar Azmi, went as far as negotiating with the judge.
“If I was to plead guilty, what would my sentence be? How much better would it be?” he asked.
High Court Judge Kamarudin Hashim replied that he would be subjected to a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Of the six, one is 17 years old while two others are brothers.
They were arrested in April in connection with an alleged plan to attack government buildings, nightclubs and other entertainment outlets.
The five adults are brothers Anwar, 33, and Mohd Nurkamal Azmi, 30, along with Mohd Hafifi Tarmizi, 25, Izwan Shameer Suzaimi, 25, and Muhammad Luqman Hakim Abdul Aziz, 22.
Anwar and his brother were represented by lawyer Chee Kuat Lee while Hafifi was represented by lawyer Ridha Abdah. The other three were unrepresented and told the judge that they were in the midst of discussion.
Judge Kamarudin then advised them to get a lawyer as soon as possible and set Dec 7 to Dec 11 for trial.
Promoting an act of violence in Malaysia is a crime under Sections 130(G)(a) and 120(B)(1) of the Penal Code. If found guilty, they can be jailed up to 30 years and fined.
The six are accused of committing the offence between April 24 and 25 at Kampung Bistari, Hulu Langat.
They were arrested by the Bukit Aman Counter Terrorism Unit with five other men at the foothills of Gunung Nuang in Hulu Langat.
It was reported that they were allegedly mixing chemicals to make improvised explosive devices.
On Tuesday, a father and son were sentenced to 18 years’ and 12 years’ jail respectively by the High Court for involvement in terrorism-related activities.
The father, Murad Halimmuddin Hassan, 49, a former Islamic State militant who had served in the movement in Syria, had two charges against him while the son Abu Daud Murad Halimmuddin, 25, faced one charge.