High Court jails construction worker three years for Palestinian abduction tied to hacking secrets

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — A construction worker, Edy Ko'im Said, 46, has been sentenced to three years in prison by the High Court in Malaysia for abducting and confining a Palestinian man four years ago. Judge Datuk Mohd Arief Emran Arifin issued the sentence after Edy pleaded guilty to the alternative charge. The victim, 31 years old, was abducted on September 28, 2022, and held at a chalet in Hulu Langat, Selangor, for around three hours before being rescued by police.

The Palestinian man was found with his hands and feet bound with cable ties. The prosecution had urged the court to impose a prison term, while Edy's defence counsel asked for the minimum term, citing his responsibility to support his family. The trial of seven other accused individuals accused of kidnapping the same victim, with the intention of obtaining information on hacking mobile phone software, continues.

If convicted, they could face up to 40 years in prison and caning. Apart from the kidnapping case, Tengku Arif Bongsu, Nidarahayu, and Raibafie face 19 money laundering charges involving over RM250,000.