2 Malaysians Returning From Syria Face 30 Years Jail

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Mohd Azmer Ramlan, (centre) and Ahmad Naim Zaid (second left) being brought to the court in Sepang today. (Bernama pic)SEPANG: Two suspected IS members who returned to Malaysia last month after being expelled from Syria were charged in separate sessions courts today with travelling abroad with the intention to commit terrorism
Ahmad Naim Zaid, 34, and Mohd Azmer Ramlan, 40, were charged under Section 130JA of the Penal Code, and could face a jail term of up to 30 years and a fine if convicted
In the court before judge Tengku Shahrizam Tuan Lah, Ahmad Naim, was charged with travelling from Malaysia with the intention to commit terrorism in Syria on March 11, 2015
The court set Jan 20 for mention pending reports from the Immigration Department and airline companies as well as bank statements of the accused
In another court before judge Saifulakmal Mohd Said, Azmer was charged with committing the same offence on July 3, 2014. The court set Jan 10 for mention pending similar reports
Prosecution for both cases was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Low Qin Hui
No plea was recorded from the two accused
Saifulakmal also denied a bail application by Azmer’s lawyer, Hamdan Hamzah
In court, Hamdan read out a letter from his client to his father in Malaysia earlier this year while in detention in Syria
In the letter, Azmer expressed his desire to return to Malaysia and said he was married to a Kurdish woman, and they have an 18-month-old son. His wife and son are now in a Syrian refugee camp
It is understood that the two men were arrested shortly after arriving at KLIA on Nov 22 by Bukit Aman’s Counter Terrorism Division, under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, or Sosma. - FMT

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