Two charged with plotting terror attacks in JB

The two men are accused of plotting an attack on a temple and nightclubs in Johor between June 27 and July 2.

BATU PAHAT: Two men were produced today in the Batu Pahat Magistrate’s Court on charges of plotting an attack on a temple and nightclubs in Johor Bahru between June 27 and July 2.

Md Saifuddin Muji, 28, and Jasanizam Rosni, 33, were accused of committing the offence at an unnumbered house in Taman Waja, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, with the intention of carrying out the attacks together.

They were charged under Section 130JD of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sanusi Satar, 31, was charged with intentionally refraining from disclosing information on the offence.

He allegedly committed the offence at No 5, Jalan Manis 1/3, Taman Manis, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, between July 1 and Aug 8.

He was charged with committing the offence under Section 130M of the Penal Code which carries a jail term not exceeding seven years, or a fine, or both if convicted.

Meanwhile, Md Saifuddin also faced a charge of possessing on Aug 11, a black flag with Jawi inscriptions associated with the Daesh (Islamic State) militant group.

He was alleged to have committed the offence under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code, and upon conviction, would be liable to imprisonment for up to seven years and a fine, as well as have the material seized.

No plea was recorded for all the three charges.

Magistrate Mohd Zulhilmi Ibrahim fixed Sept 28 for mention of the cases.

Earlier today, Md Saifuddin pleaded guilty to possessing an M67 grenade at No 108, Kampung Parit Gantung, Sri Merlung, Rengit, near here, on Aug 11.

He was accused under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which carries a jail term not exceeding 14 years and at least six strokes of the cane upon conviction.

For this charge, Mohd Zulhilmi set Sept 8 for mention.

The cases were brought forward by DPP Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor. The three accused were unrepresented.

Be a man, sue me, Muhyiddin challenges Najib

Former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has dared his former boss Najib Abdul Razak to sue him, if allegations about the premier's corruption are not true.

This is in regard to accusations that Najib had swindled public money through 1MDB, causing much national hardship.

"I challenge Najib to deny this. Answer these accusations yourself.

"Do not use running dogs like (your press secretary) Tengku Sariffuddin (Tengku Ahmad) and others to answer for you and shield you.

"Be a man. I challenge Najib to sue me if what I say is untrue," Muhyiddin said in a statement today.

He said this when responding to Tengku Sariffuddin, who had said the former was making claims that Najib had RM4 billion in his accounts to distract from an alleged affair.

Najib has denied misusing public funds, dismissing them as part of a plot to topple him.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared the prime minister of any criminal misconduct in the 1MDB scandal.

However, Muhyiddin said Najib's alleged corruption was shown in the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuits on the embezzlement of 1MDB funds.

"The corrupt high-ranking official in the Malaysian government identified by DOJ as 'Malaysian Official 1' is none other than PM Najib Razak. PM Najib Razak is MO1 who had schemed with Jho Low and Riza Aziz to plunder 1MDB of the billions that have been lost."

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan had confirmed with the BBC that Najib is MO1.

The DOJ in its legal lawsuits claimed that MO1 had received US$731 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB funds.

Rahman, however, said Najib was not part of the DOJ's suit to seize back more than US$1 billion in assets purchased with monies allegedly siphoned from 1MDB.

He also said there was no need for Najib to step down.

'Cops need not wait for report to check lock-up conditions'

The Home Ministry must probe claims of deplorable lock-up conditions by rapper Namewee, instead of issue a bare denial, said Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.

Police had dismissed the caim and demanded Namewee lodge a police report so it can be investigated, if he insists it is true.

However, Gobind said there is no need for police to wait for a report to be lodged before it conducts an internal probe.

Further, if a report is required the police can lodge one themselves if they indeed are earnest in investigating the matter, he said.

"We are talking about detenions here. A complaint has been made, and a very serious one indeed.

"The police shouldn’t merely respond with a challenge for a police report to be lodged. That cannot be enough," he said in a statement.

He said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should also act swiftly on the matter on "humanitarian grounds".

'May die in custody'

Namewee, or his full name Wee Meng Chee, was held for four days last week, after being arrested for his controversial music video Oh My God, is in poor condition.

On his release, he took to Facebook to reveal the allegedly deplorable conditions of the lock-up, and expressed fear that the 15 Myanmar detainees also held there may die while in custody.

"I encountered about 15 illegal immigrants from Myanmar, who had spent more than 30 days in detention.

"They were locked in a poor condition small room with nobody to bail them out. They were stuck there because their employers had fled with their identifications," Wee said in an Aug 27 posting, which was later taken down.

Wee said he suspected the Myanmar detainees suffered from tuberculosis and they were unable to tell the police this because of language problems.

He also claimed that the detainees may not be able to receive help as the hospital may not take in foreigners with no identification papers.

'Police warned me not to talk'

"Police warned me not to talk about the lock-up, but sorry, they may die inside one by one if I don't speak up," he said.

Penang police chief Abdul Ghafar Rajab denied Namewee’s allegations, saying that there is a standard operating procedure (SOP) to adhere to and detainees who are sick or unwell will be sent to the hospital.

“If he is sincere, then please lodge a police report so we can open an investigation.

“However, if the allegations are found to be untrue, we will investigate them as a false report,” Ghafar was quoted as saying by English daily The Star today.

The police arrested the 31-year-old rapper following multiple police reports lodged in George Town on July 30 over Namewee's music video titled Oh My God. He was detained on Aug 21.

The police reports complained that the music video had used the word "Allah" in a disrespectful manner and portrayed Muslims as terrorists.

The reports also took issue with the portrayal of Muslims gambling and the use of the 'azan' (call for prayer) in the music video.