KOTA KINABALU: A platoon commando of the General Operation Force (GOF) told the terrorism trial yesterday that he found two fake firearms at a skirmish area at Kampung Tanjung Batu in Lahad Datu.
Assistant Superintendent Mursalim Mohd Salleh, 44, was testifying before High Court Justice Stephen Chung that the two so-called firearms were a replica of a long rifle and a gun, which were made of plastic.
“From my understanding, I called the long rifle which is silver in colour, as replica because it is not a real rifle,” he responded to a question during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar.
He further testified at the continuation of the identification and tendering of weapons seized at Tanjung Batu when they were carrying out Clearing Operation there, that the plastic pistol which was made of plastic was in darker colour and was written on it ‘Made in China’.
To another question by Mohd Dusuki, the 27th witness said that he was not the one who did the taggings, markings nor signed on the two imitation firearms.
He also identified 14 machetes, four of them were short machetes that had been seized at the same skirmish area.
The witness was giving his oral evidence against 29 accused persons including the nephew of the late self-styled Sulu sultan III, Datu Jamalul Kiram, believed to be the man behind the intrusion in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu.
The accused persons were alleged to have committed terrorism activities at several places in Lahad Datu, Semporna and Sandakan areas between February 12 and April 10, 2013.
The indictments carry the mandatory death sentence while the rest provide for life imprisonment and a fine, upon conviction.
The trial was held at a hall doubled as an open court at Kepayan prisons here under tight security checks by the prison and police personnel.
The prosecution led by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who was assisted by deputy public prosecutors Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed, Ishak Mad Yusoff, Mohd Dusuki, Cheng Heng Kher and Anati Kisahi while counsel involved for the accused were Datuk N. Sivananthan, James Tsai, Stella Simon, Teressa Sirri, Zakaria Ahmad Kamarudin Mohd Chinki, Ram Singh, YS Lo, Rowiena Rasid and Abdul Ghani Zelika.
The trial continues today.