5 family members of a Malaysian who attacked a police station face terrorism charges

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The father of a Malaysian man who attacked a police station last month and killed two police officers was charged Wednesday with inciting terrorism in his family. His Singaporean wife and three other children were also brought to court.

Four charges have been brought against 62-year-old Radin Imran Radin Mohd Yassin, including promoting terrorist acts by allegedly spreading the violent ideology of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” in his family. His 21-year-old son Radin Luqman was also killed by police in the attack.

Radin Luqman stormed the police station in the southern state of Johor, near Singapore, in the early hours of May 17, wielding a machete. He hacked one policeman to death and then used his weapon to kill another. He wounded a third policeman before being shot dead. Police initially said the man may have planned to steal firearms from the station.

The incident sparked fears that there was a wider security threat, but government officials said the man and his family lived a reclusive life and the attacker was believed to have acted on his own.

Unemployed Radin Imran was also accused of aiding terrorist attacks by keeping four homemade air rifles in his home for use in Islamic State activities, according to indictments obtained by The Associated Press.

He is also said to have pledged allegiance to the then leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014. The latter was killed in a US attack in Syria in 2019. A book linked to the Islamic State was found in his possession.

His eldest son, Radin Romyullah, 34, is charged with two counts: pledging allegiance to Abu Bakar and possessing an external hard drive containing material about the Islamic State, according to the indictment. Both father and son face life imprisonment, which in Malaysia carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, and a fine.

Radin Imran’s Singaporean wife Rosna Jantan, 59, and his two daughters, aged 19 and 23, both face a vague charge related to failing to disclose information to spread terrorism. Details were not given.

Local media reported the five were brought to a Johor court under heavy guard. The Star newspaper reported no plea was entered, but the five, who did not have a lawyer, said they understood the charges against them. The next hearing in the case will be on July 31.

The Associated Press