Malaysia navy officer charged for possessing IS symbol

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian navy officer has been charged with possession of a handphone containing the symbol of the Islamic State, as authorities found several cases of the dreaded terror group's sympathisers across the country.

27-year-old navy personnel Zakariya Ahmad has been charged with possessing items related to a terrorist group.

A handphone containing the symbol of the ISIS was found in his possession at a guest room of the commandant camp building at Bukit Aman police headquarters on August 19.

No plea was recorded and no bail was granted. Magistrate Erry Shahriman Nor Aripin fixed October 30 for hearing.

In a separate case, two military commanders have been accused of encouraging people to join the ISIS in Johor state.

Mohd Zuraidi Shafiq Zulkeflee, 27, and Muhammad Adibzakir Zahir, 28, have been charged under Section 130G(b) of the Penal Code, which carries a jail sentence of up to 30 years.

In another case, two persons were charged with possessing materials related to the ISIS in the country's Perlis state.

The accused were identified as Azlee Md Salleh, 30, an interior designer, and Ahmad Kamil Ghazali, 24, a radiographer at a hospital.

ISIS or IS is an al-Qaeda splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria.