Three in the dock for church arson

The Metro Tabernacle church was firebombed and partially gutted.

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Three despatch riders were charged in the Sessions Court here today for the recent firebombing of the Metro Tabernacle Church, and could face up to 20 years in prison.

The three were brothers Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24; Raja Muhammad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, 22; and another 23-year-old, Azuwan Shah Ahmad.

They were charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code, for the offence of “mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a building.”

All three claimed trial and the date of mention has been set for March 12.

The three accused did not have legal representation. Bail was set at RM20,000 each.

The first accused, Muhammad Faizal, pleaded for leniency for his brother and him, claiming they could not afford to post the bail amount.

“I plead for the court to lower the bail amount. This is our first offence; we cannot afford RM20,000 bail,” he said.

However, Sessions Court judge Komathy Suppiah concurred with DPP Anslem Charles Fernandeez’s point that bail at that amount was fair given the public interest in the case.

A total of eight men had originally been detained in connection with the arson attack at the Metro Tabernacle Church here on Jan 8.

Another DPP, Lee Keng Fatt, would not reveal if or when the remaining suspects would be charged.

“I cannot say. We will have to wait and see,” said Lee.

Besides the eight, police have also detained seven other men over the recent arson attempt at Taiping’s historic All Saints’ Church and the town’s Convent School.

The attacks are believed to be linked to the controversial “Allah” ruling that has riled many Muslims.

Four other men were also picked up for arson attempts on two mosques in Muar.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this week he believed the attacks against churches, a temple and now mosques appeared to be aimed at sparking racial and religious strife.

Boar heads were reportedly found at two mosques near here, earlier this week, following the fire-bombing attacks and acts of vandalism against churches and a Sikh temple had taken place in the wake of the “Allah” controversy.

These latest acts could be construed as attempts to escalate tensions and provoke unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims, as pigs are considered unhygienic in Islam and therefore their presence in the mosques were acts of desecration.