KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Nov — A man, who had to skip his wedding ceremony when he was detained for having a mobile phone containing an image of the Islamic State terrorist group’s flag, was today sentenced to nine months’ jail for the offence.
High Court judge Datuk Mohd Azman Husin handed down the sentence on Azlee Md Salleh, 30, from Kangar, Perlis, who pleaded guilty to the charge.
He was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of arrest, which was Aug 19 this year.
Azlee, who owns an interior decorating company, was supposed to marry his fiancee last Oct 19, but the ceremony had to be cancelled when he was detained for the offence.
His fiancee and family members were at the court today.
Azlee was charged with having the phone containing the IS terrorist group’s flag at a house in Taman Ira, Kangar, at 8.30 am last Aug 19.
The charge, under Section 130JB (1) (a) of the Penal Code, carries an imprisonment for up to seven years or fine, and forfeits his right over any of the affected material.
According to the facts of the case, Azlee began making contacts early this year with a few Malaysians who were in Syria to provide support for the IS, including Zulqarnain Ghaz, who told him that he was wanted by the police and requested for financial help.
On Oct 9 this year, Zulqarnain, a freelance religious speaker, was sentenced to nine years’ jail by the High Court for entering Syria to support terrorist acts.
In mitigation, lawyer Dinesh Mutal, who represented Azlee, said his client was remorse and promised not to repeat the offence.
“His mistake was not to report the image of the IS flag which he received on his mobile phone to the authorities,” he added.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin prosecuted. — Bernama
