Alleged 'Messiah' hacker James Raj is mentally fit to stand trial: IMH report

James Raj Arokiasamy (above), the man accused of hacking into the website of a town council, is fit to stand trial, according to a psychiatric report submitted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to the court on Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013. -- ST FILE
James Raj Arokiasamy (above), the man accused of hacking into the website of a town council, is fit to stand trial, according to a psychiatric report submitted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to the court on Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013. -- ST FILE PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

James Raj Arokiasamy, the man accused of hacking into the website of a town council, is fit to stand trial, according to a psychiatric report submitted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to the court on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old, who is said to have signed off his alleged handiwork with "The Messiah" moniker, was sent for psychiatric evaluation on Nov 12 after he had allegedly told the police that he suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

But the IMH report indicated that while James Raj showed signs of ADHD, they were not enough to fulfil the diagnostic criteria and hence he is not of unsound mind.

The court on Tuesday ordered him to be remanded in police custody until Dec 3 for further investigations. According to the previous submissions by the prosecution, James Raj is said to be "reasonably suspected as having carried out a series of hacking incidents". He is also suspected of creating the video threatening a wave of cyber attacks here to protest against licensing rules for news websites here.

James Raj was was nabbed in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 4, handed over to the police here the next day and charged Nov 12. Apart from the cyber attack, the runaway drug offender - who had been in hiding since 2011 - also faces three charges for drug consumption committed then.

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