KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 ― Six men, ranging from age 17 to 33, claimed trial at a High Court here to charges of promoting acts of terror.

The charged are Mohd Anwar Azmi, 33, his brother Mohd Nurkamal, 30, Mohd Hafifi Tarmizi, 25, Izwan Shameer Suzaimi, 25, and Muhammad Luqman Hakim Abdul Aziz, 22. The sixth accused is a 17-year-old who could not be named.

According to The Star, the men were calm when the charges were read to them.

One of them, Mohd Anwar, went as far as “negotiating” with Justice Kamarudin Hashim.

“If I were to plead guilty, what would my sentence be? How much better would it be?,” he was quoted saying.

The accused were arrested in Kampung Bistari, Hulu Langat in April over an alleged plan to attack government buildings, nightclubs and other entertainment outlets. According to a report, they were allegedly mixing chemicals to make improvised explosive devices.

The men were charged with promoting an act of violence in Malaysia under Section 130(G)(a) and Section 120(B)(1) of the Penal Code with jail terms of up to 30 years.