2 Malaysian commandos with ISIS links charged

They were among Malaysian military staff charged over activities related to terror group

Muhammad Adibzakir Zahri (above) was charged in a magistrate's court in Johor with encouraging membership in ISIS. Fellow commando Mohd Zuraidi Shafiq Zulkeflee was charged separately. PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR • Several armed forces personnel, including two commandos, appeared in various courts around Malaysia yesterday in connection with activities related to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group, according to Bernama news agency.

The two commandos, Mohd Zuraidi Shafiq Zulkeflee, 27, and Muhammad Adibzakir Zahri, 28, were charged separately at a magistrate's court in Kota Tinggi, in Johor, with encouraging membership in the militant group.

They allegedly committed the offence at Markus 21, Grup Gerak Khas, Kem Iskandar in Mersing in August last year.

If convicted, both men face 30 years in jail and a fine.

In other cases, a soldier and a member of the Royal Malaysian Navy were also charged separately with possessing mobile phones containing the symbol of the terror group.

Corporal Mohd Azidi Said, 28, of the Armed Forces College in Port Dickson allegedly committed the offence at the Port Dickson district police headquarters in August last year. He faces up to seven years in jail or a fine.

Zakariya Ahmad, 27, who was from the naval base in Lumut, allegedly committed the offence at a guest room of the commandant camp building at Bukit Aman police headquarters.

The cases for all four men will come up again next month.

Another soldier, Private Mohammad Rosdan Mohammad Khir, 24, pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court in Gerik, Perak, to possession of printed materials on ISIS.

He also faced a seven-year prison sentence or a fine but the judge could not sentence the accused because the prosecution requested for the case to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

In Kangar, Perlis, two other people were also charged with possessing materials related to the ISIS, the Star reported.

The two were identified as Azlee Md Salleh, 30, an interior designer, and Ahmad Kamil Ghazali, 24, radiographer at the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital.

A 42-year-old woman was charged in Sungai Petani with harbouring a known terrorist allegedly between September and December last year.

Poziah Harun, a statistics officer, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison as well as a fine.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 16, 2015, with the headline 2 Malaysian commandos with ISIS links charged. Subscribe