KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today discharged and acquitted three men – two Royal Malaysia Armed Forces (RMAF) personnel and an Indonesian wireman – on charges of conspiring to incite terrorism in Malaysia.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman, in acquitting Mohd Yusri Mohamed Yusof, 31, Nor Azmi Jailani, 30; and 30-year-old Ali Saifuddin from Jawa Tengah, Indonesia, ruled that the defence had raised a reasonable doubt to the prosecution's case.
However, the men will continue to be remanded until the disposal of their case at the Apex Court.
The trio were jointly charged with former militant Murad Halimmuddin Hassan, who died in October 2016 while in prison due to heart complications, his businessman son Abu Daud, 27, and religious school assistant teacher Hadharami Hashim.
Murad and Abu both pleaded guilty to committing the offence between Jan 30 and April 5, 2016, at Pengkalan Batu Hampar in Pendang and were sentenced to 18 and 12 years respectively by the High Court, while the four had claimed trial.
Hadharami was acquitted earlier.
The late Murad's 18-year jail term was also for a separate count of having knowledge of and supporting a terrorist act at Pengkalan Batu Hampar in Pendang.
The accused were represented by Farida Mohammed, Mohd Kamarul Arifin Mohd Wafa, Bakhtiar Roslan, Sharizan Johan and Louis Liaw, while the prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nordin Ismail.
It was reported that a terror cell in Malaysia was targeting key government points or landmarks, including police stations, army camps as well as vice spots.
The cell also had an ambitious terror plan to abduct top Malaysian leaders and use them as barter for the release of detained Islamic State members.