AMPANG= A former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee was charged at the magistrate's court here with allegedly promoting an ideology intended to incite the people of Syria.
Yazid Sufaat, 49, who was dressed in an orange prison uniform, appeared calm and smiling when he was brought into the courtroom yesterday afternoon.
His friend, Halimah Hussein, 52, a former lawyer, was dressed in a black jubah and looked equally calm. She was charged with abetting Yazid.
They were separately charged with committing the offences at Yazid's house in Taman Bukit Ampang between August 1 and October 20 last year.
Yazid, who operates a drinks stall with his wife at the Jalan Duta court complex cafeteria, was picked up there at noon on Thursday, along with one of his workers, Mohd Hilmi Hasim.
However, Hilmi was not charged yesterday.
No pleas were recorded from Yazid and Halimah.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria told the court that there was no provision for bail.
He also made an application to transfer both cases to the Shah Alam High Court.
Magistrate Zulyana Zollkapli allowed the transfer.
The charges against the duo carry a maximum jail sentence of 30 years and a possible fine if found guilty.
Lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, who assisted defence lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, said the two, who were detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, would have their plea recorded at the High Court.
On Hilmi's situation, Amer said his legal team would file a habeas corpus application to secure his release.
Amer said under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, the authorities had the right to hold a detainee up to 28 days without trial.
Yazid is a Royal Military College alumnus and retired army captain.
In 1987, at the age of 23, he graduated from California State University Sacramento in the United States with a bachelor's degree in biological science and chemistry.
Between 2000 and 2001, he spent time in Afghanistan, where in earlier reports, he had admitted to meeting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
He allegedly trained as a militant for six months under Osama.
Yazid was arrested under the Internal Security Act in December 2001, here, after he was suspected to have had a hand in several terror activities worldwide.
He was released in December 2008.
Yazid's wife, Chomel Mohamad, said she was going to stand by her husband no matter how long it would take.
She was adamant that he had done nothing wrong since his release from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2008.
Chomel insisted that Yazid had been spending all his time with his family.
"I do not know what he did before his arrest under the ISA, but I do know that he has always been with me and our children since," she the 48-year-old, adding that her family was prepared for the long trial ahead.
Chomel said that Yazid had remained constantly by her side since his release and helped her at their drinks stall.
When asked why she thought her husband was arrested, Chomel said that Yazid had mentioned the name "Fikrie", believed to be in reference to Mohd Noor Fikrie Abd Kahar.
Fikrie, 26, who was a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, was shot dead by security forces in the Philippines last December.
Chomel said police then took Yazid to their house, where they searched the premises for four hours.
- New Straits Times
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