Two accused of supporting IS

The Star

9 hours ago

JOHOR BARU: Two Bangladesh factory workers have been charged at a Sessions Court here for allegedly supporting the Islamic State (IS) group.
Md Refat Bishat, 27, was accused of possessing an image of an IS flag in his mobile phone at a house in Jalan Datin Halimah, Larkin, here at around 4.30pm on July 10.
No plea was recorded because the accused told the court he did not fully understand the charge, which was read to him in Bahasa Malaysia.
'Faham sikit-sikit saja,' he told the court.
The charge was framed under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code, which carries imprisonment of up to seven years or a fine, and confiscation of the material.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Ainaa Ridzwan then requested for a Bangladeshi translator.
Meanwhile, Md Mamun Ali (pic), 31, was separately charged with providing support to IS via Facebook under the name 'Sahifulla Islam' from July 28, 2023 to April 30, 2024.
The offence, framed under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code, carries life imprisonment or up to 40 years with a fine upon conviction.
Md Mamun said he did not understand what was read to him.
DPP Maryam Jamielah Ab Manaff also requested for a Bangladeshi translator.
Judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail granted the requests of both DPPs and fixed Sept 12 for next mention for both cases.
In July, police announced they had smashed a network that was using social media to recruit supporters for the group with the arrest of more than 30 Bangladeshi nationals since April.
The network had been spreading IS ideology and canvassing for funds from the migrant worker community to support its operations in Syria and Bangladesh.