The leader of a bogus arms inspection team wanted to obtain machine guns from two other weapons stores at the Batalion 304 camp in Grik but had to be content with just tripods and spare barrels, the High Court in the Al-Ma'unah "treason" trial heard today.

Lance Corporal Soaid Hamid, head guard of the Company C weapons store, and Lance Corporal Bahrain Mat Lazim, head guard at Company E store, testified that they could not give any general purpose machine guns (Gpmg) as there were none in the stores on July 2, the day of the "inspection".

Bahrain also identified defendant number three, Jamaludin Darus, a soldier, as the leader of the team who was ranked "Lt-Col".

"I saw him on three occasions, each time it was for about two to three minutes," he said.

Both these stores are located in the same building as the arms store of the Company headquarters of Batalion 304.

Yesterday, the head guard of the Company HQ store, Corporal Sharif Napi testified that the "Lt-Col" had removed and driven away an assortment of weapons from his store on the pretext of conducting a sudden arms inspection ([#1]Court told details of weapons snatched from army camp[/#], Oct 10).

Sharif also had identified Jamaludin as the "Lt-Col".

Order to display guns in field

Bahrain continued that the "Lt-Col" instructed him to lay out the Gpmg from his store at a field in the camp during the inspection which was done at 4.20am.

"I told him we had no Gpmg with us at that moment as all have been issued to soldiers on operation. He then asked me to bring out all the M-16 guns," he said.

He added that the while he was waiting for his assistant to bring the keys to the locked M-16 guns, the "Lt-Col" ordered him to help carry out weapons from the Company HQ store.

"I told him I will not leave my store unattended and he left me at that. He came back again and this time he told me in a angry tone to carry the weapons from the other store," Bahrain recounted.

He said he carried weapons from the store to be put near a Pajero vehicle.

Bahrain also said that despite having the M-16 guns in his store unlocked, the "Lt-Col"had not taken them but took only two Gpmg tripods.

He also said that in his 22 years experience as a soldier, he had not undergone an early morning arms inspection like the one done on July 2.

Gpmg spare barrels

Earlier today, Soaid said during the inspection, the "Lt-Col"asked for Gpmg from his store and when told there were none, he told Soaid that he would take the Gpmg spare barrels instead.

"He ordered me to take out the barrels which were locked in a drum. There were four barrels in there and I personally took them to a nearby Pajero," he said.

He added that he did not place the barrels inside the Pajero vehicle but merely left them by the vehicle as ordered.

Soaid also said he too was asked to assist in loading weapons taken from the Company HQ store.

"After making two trips to load the weapons, I went back to my store and locked myself in. When I came out in about 10 minutes, the inspection team and their vehicle have gone," he said.

He said that he only saw one vehicle and was sure that the vehicle was a four-wheel-drive Pajero.

He also said that in his experience he had not undergone an arms inspection at 4.20am.

Both Bahrain and Soaid were giving evidence in the case where 29 members of the Al-Ma'unah group are accused under section 121 of the Penal Code for waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which carries the punishment of death or life sentence, or a fine, if found guilty of waging war or abetting to wage war in the country.

They are alleged to have committed the offence between June and July 6 at Pos 2, Km 19, Kuala Rui, Jalanraya Timur-Barat, Grik; Batalion 304, Infantri (AW), Kem Grik, Grik; and in Bukit Jenalik, Sauk, all in Perak ([#2]Twenty-nine Al-Ma'unah members claim trial[/#], Aug 9)

They are alleged to have stolen a cache of weapons and ammunition from two military camps by impersonating army officers in the early hours of July 2.

The hearing before justice Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin continues tomorrow.