Court rejects guilty plea of man accused of wanting to join IS

"You are not the only one who sympathised with what happened in Syria. The whole Muslim community also sympathise, and I, as a Muslim, also sympathise. "If we sympathise, why should we go there? To join the so-called IS militant group?" These were the remarks and questions posed by the High Court Judge Kamardin Hashim before he rejected the guilty plea of a sundry shop owner accused of wanting to become a member of the Islamic State militant group. Kamardin made the decision after Mohd Rosmadi Che Daud, 42, disagreed with the facts of the case which stated that he 'had made preparations to join' the group. "I only sympathise with the Syrian who were mercilessly killed and I have no intention at all of joining the IS," Mohd Rosmadi said in tears. Before setting March 31 next year for case remention, Kamardin said there must be a strong reason, other than sympathy, for the accused to wanting to go to Syria. According to the facts of the case, Mohd Rosmadi, from Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan, was arrested on Sept 25, along with several others, at the departure hall of the KL International Airport (KLIA) while checking in for a Qatar Airways flight to Istanbul, Turkey. He faces a main charge of wanting to become a member of the so-called IS. The offence under Section 130J(1) of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment for life or up to 30 years, or fine, and forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used in connection with the commission of the offence, upon conviction. Mohd Rosmadi also faces an alternative charge of giving support to the militant group. He was represented by lawyers Arik Zakri Abdul Kadir and Ahmad Kamal Abu Bakar, while deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Shukor Abu Bakar appeared for prosecution.here.