A FORMER convict was sentenced to 40 years in prison today by the High Court after pleading guilty to four charges related to terrorism, including performing the "Baiah," providing support to, and possessing materials linked to the Daesh (ISIS) terrorist group last year.
Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid delivered the sentence to Nik Mohd Shalahuddin Zakaria, a 41-year-old man who had previously served a three-year sentence for a similar offence.
Nik Mohd Shalahuddin received five years of imprisonment for each of the first two charges, which involved possessing terrorist-related materials connected to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
These materials included 1,020 photographs, 26 videos, and 321 articles in PDF format, all found on his mobile phone. His second mobile phone contained additional materials, comprising 378 photographs, 36 videos, and 244 PDF articles.
The offences occurred on June 10 last year at 9:15am in Kampung Senang, Kota Jembal.
The charges were filed under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code, which stipulates a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment or a fine, along with the confiscation of any property used in or intended for use in the commission of the offence.
For the third charge, which involved providing support to the IS terrorist group by using Facebook under the alias Ahmad Saif Al-Islam, Nik Mohd Shalahuddin was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
This charge was linked to a post he made at 10:15pm on June 10, detected at the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
On the fourth charge, which involved pledging allegiance to the IS group through the "Baiah" ceremony and recognizing Abu Hafs Al Hashimi Al-Qurashi as the caliph of IS, the defendant was again sentenced to 15 years in prison.
This charge falls under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code, which can result in a prison sentence of up to 40 years or a fine.
Despite the sentences being consecutive in theory, Judge Azhar ruled that they should run concurrently, starting from the date of arrest. This means that Nik Mohd Shalahuddin will only be required to serve 15 months in jail.
When asked for a statement, Nik Mohd Shalahuddin, who represented himself without a lawyer, stated that he did not wish to offer any mitigation.
“There is nothing I want to say about the sentence and I will not mitigate... I do not want to ask for sympathy and I will persevere with this test,” he said, revealing that he is the third of seven siblings.
The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Shafiq Hasim. – February 25, 2025
