According to the charge sheet, Muhd Syahir was accused of displaying items relating to IS in his Facebook. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — It’s going to be a bleak Aidilfitri for a trader here after the High Court sentenced him to 30 months’ jail for displaying content on terrorist group Islamic State (IS) on his Facebook page three years ago.

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali handed down the sentence on Muhd Syahir Muhammad Nordin, 28, after he had changed his plea to guilty during case mention today, after which he was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on November 19 last year.

Just before passing sentence, Mohd Nazlan said Muhd Syahir had committed a serious offence that posed a real threat to national security.

“The objective of a punishment is to serve as lesson to society and as a deterrent for the one convicted as well,” he said

“The court hopes the accused will realise (his mistake) and be more careful as to not to get involved in unlawful activities, more so if they are connected to terrorism,” the judge advised.

According to the charge sheet, Muhd Syahir was accused of displaying items relating to IS in his Facebook and the offence was committed at the E8 Counter Terrorism Division, 33rd floor, Menara 2, at Bukit Aman, here, on June 13 three years ago.

He was charged under Section 130(JB)(1)(d) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum seven years’ jail or a fine and the right for the displayed offensive items to be removed.

Counsel Farida Mohammad pleaded for a lenient sentence on the grounds that her client had saved the court’s time by pleading guilty, besides the fact that he has no previous criminal records.

“My client comes from a poor family and has had not much formal and religious education.”

“He did not complete his secondary education and this is why he could not think of the consequences. In fact, he did not even know that his actions were unlawful in the first place,” Farida said.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Aslinda Ahad, however, urged for a sentence that reflected the severity of the offence, as it involved national security and IS propaganda.

“Expert anaylsis also found that Muhd Syahir was a strong IS supporter and had been deeply influenced by their propaganda,” she told the court.

According to the facts of the case, a police team had arrested the accused in Kota Baru by ambushing his house, after which they seized two laptops and four handphones.

Further investigations revealed that the accused owned three Facebook accounts with two already blocked for displaying content related to terrorism. — Bernama