KUALA LUMPUR: A factory worker was sentenced to eight years’ jail by the High Court here today for taking instructions from a terrorist to carry out terror activities in Malaysia, including bombing the Movida nightspot in Puchong, and planning bomb attacks on the Bukit Aman Federal police headquarters and in Putrajaya.
Mohammad Firdaus Abdullah, 27, pleaded guilty to seven terror-related charges, including knowingly supporting the Islamic State (IS) terror group through his mobile phone’s Telegram application’s chat group, 'Gagak Hitam', at No 194, Jalan Padu, Tampoi Industrial Estate in Larkin, Johor.
Mohammad Firdaus admitted to providing support for the bomb attack on the Movida nightclub in Puchong through the Telegram application chat group 'amanah (phb) vs pas', under the name ‘Jengking Malaya’, at No 194, Jalan Padu, between 3.41am and 9.03am.
He admitted to knowingly providing support to acts of terror by planning a bomb attack using a drone on Bukit Aman, Putrajaya and the Free Mason Temple in Bukit Jalil, via the Telegram application chat group 'amanah(phb) vs pas’ under the name 'Jengking Malaya' at 194 Jalan Padu, in Tampoi, between 3.08am and 3.41am.
He pleaded guilty to the fourth offence of receiving instructions from IS terrorist, Muhammad Fudhail Omar, via the Telegram application chat group 'Jengking Malaya' to carry out terror activities while at 194, Jalan Padu in Tampoi, at 3.38am.
The offences were committed between March 25 and June 27, 2016, and for each of the offences, judge Datuk Paduka Azman Abdullah sentenced the accused to eight years' jail.
In addition, Mohammad Firdaus admitted to being in possession of 89 videos and nine images on IS, 34 images of Al-Qaeda in his external hard disc, 66 images of IS and Al-Qaeda on his iPhone, at Jalan Padi Murni, Taman Muafakat Utama, Larkin, in Johor, at about 6.55pm.
He also admitted to possession of eight images of IS on his mobile phone at 04-12, Block A, Jalan Suria Muafakat Utama, Taman Suria Muafakat Utama in Larkin, Johor at 7.15pm.
Mohammad Firdaus was also charged with being in possession of a book on terror activities and IS at Jalan Suria Muafakat Utama in Larkin, at 7.15pm.
The possession of all IS-related paraphernalia was committed on Aug 4, 2016, and Azman sentenced him to four years' jail for each offence.
The judge ordered all the sentences to run concurrently from the date of Mohammad Firdaus’ date of arrest on Aug 4, 2016 – so instead of a total of 44 years, he will serve only eight.
Counsel Muhamad Imran Mohamad Farouk, in seeking a lenient punishment for his client, said that a long custodial sentence would be detrimental, as Mohammad Firdaus will be in the company of hardened criminals.
"He is young and had misunderstood jihad. My client comes from a loving home and had been financially supporting his parents and siblings," he said.
But deputy public prosecutor Mohd Izhanudin Alias told the court that all the offences committed by the accused were serious in nature and that IS cases are rampant.