The Metro Tabernacle Church arson hearing today took an unexpected twist when two friends of the accused turned up as state prosecution witnesses.

NONE Their sudden presence surprised family members of the accused and reporters in the court. Their testimonies, however, were anti-climactic as their testimonies showed that none of the three accused directly participate in the arson.

According to the prosecution, those who are responsible for the fire are still at large.

The three accused are brothers Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim ( right ) and Raja Mohamad Idzham, and their friend, Azuwan Shah Ahmad.

The first state witness Mohd Razwan Azmir Shaharran, 22, told the court that he fetched second state witness Noor Shahli Nasrullah Baharuddin on his motorbike on the night of Jan 7, 2010.

They proceeded to the Old Town White Coffee outlet at Taman Permata where they joined a group of 10 to 15 friends, testified the witness.

It was during a casual chat there that one of the friends mentioned torching a church.

PM Najib Razak inspects Metro Tabernacle church 3 The group then left for the Metro Tabernacle Church ( left ). Mohd Razwan followed them on his motorbike along with Noor Shahli.

"We moved at about 11.45pm on six motorcycles... and a car," said Razwan. 

Razwan said he was last to arrive, and parked his motorbike further from the church as he missed a turning.

According to him, three motorbike passengers each carried white plastic bottles with petrol while another biker brought a steel hammer.

The four of them broke the church glass door with the hammer, and splashed the petrol into the church, he said.

"In less than two minutes, the church caught fire," Razwan told the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court presided by judge SM Komathy Suppiah.

Accused ‘did nothing’

Fearful, Razwan testified that he and Noor Shahli returned home immediately on his motorbike.

Razwan says after arriving home, he later received a phone call from the brothers Idzham and Faizal asking for help to send them to hospital.

Razwan again fetched Noor Shahli in his car, and met the two accused and others who took part in the arson at a nearby clinic, before sending the brothers to Hospital Pusrawi and then to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital for treatment.

Noor Shahli, the second state witness, said a friend known as ‘Murti’ brought the hammer, while another friend ‘Sham’ broke the church door, while another known as ‘Kulit’ splashed the petrol.

NONE Both witnesses said that Idzham and Faizal did not help carry the petrol, hammer or help splash the petrol. Apart from being present at the crime scene, they testified that they had not participated.

"They did nothing," said Noor Shahli when cross-examined by the defence counsel.

They also claimed that the third accused, Azuwan ( left ), was not at the crime scene that night.

When asked about who planned the arson, the duo replied they had no idea, explaining that they were just "following friends".

Injured during arson

The two witnesses however contradicted the accused’ lawyer Hanif Hashim’s claim that his clients had injured themselves burning rubbish at a house.

Razwan told the court that the Idzham had told him at the clinic that they had somehow caught fire during the arson.

Razwan and Noor Shahli said Faizal was severely burnt on both his arms and face while Idzham suffered burns on his left hand.

Noor Shahli said he did not know how the brothers got their burns.

The two state's witnesses have been detained in Simpang Renggam detention camp since they were remanded in January.

When pressed by Hanif, Razwan revealed that he was under "coercion" and "pressure" when interrogated by the police in Sentul police station and Bukit Aman police headquarters.

But he was quick to explain that it was his first time under arrest and was "not used to the questioning method".

The prosecution team led by deputy public prosecutor Azlina Rasdi called up five witnesses today.

Earlier an investigator with the Fire and Rescue Service Department has told the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court that the fire that destroyed the Metro Tabernacle Church on Jan 7 was set by “irresponsible parties”.