An elite armed forces Combat Rescue Team (CRT) was sent to Bukit Jenalik to capture 17 Al-Ma'unah armed members who were holding out at their base there, the Kuala Lumpur High Court hearing the treason trial of 29 Al-Ma'unah members was told today.

Major Loc Hamaca Nawawi, who led the team, said his instructions were for his team to capture the Al-Ma'unah members, take control of their base and retrieve all stolen weapons with the use of force if necessary.

"We went to their base in four armoured vehicles at about 3.30pm on July 6 and noticed that some of them were armed with machine guns and parangs," said Loc Hamaca, who is attached to Regiment 11 (Special Forces) at the Sungai Udang camp in Melaka.

Twenty-eight Al-Ma'unah members had holed up in Bukit Jenalik in Sauk after allegedly making of with a cache of weapons from two army installations in Grik on July 2. They were also alleged to have taken four men as hostages of which two were killed.

Ten members of the group had surrendered in batches to security personnel on July 6. Seventeen others were captured by security forces while one died at the Bukit Jenalik hideout.

Thorough inspection

The 29 Al-Ma'unah members are charged under section 121 of the Penal Code for waging war or abetting to wage war against the Yang diPertuan Agong, offences which carry the sentence of death or life sentence if found guilty.

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 ([#1]Twenty-nine Al-Ma'unah members claim trial[/#], Aug 9).

Loc Hamaca said after the 17 group members were captured, they were checked thoroughly and were taken to the Jenalik primary school.

He added that he could identify only one member of those captured and pointed to defendant Mohd Amin Mohd Razali, leader of the Al-Ma'unah group.

"My men, all wearing balaclavas, then did a complete sweep of the enemy camp to retrieve all the weapons which were there," said Loc Hamaca.

He said his men discovered M-16 machine guns, grenade launchers, general purpose machine guns (Gpmg), light machine guns and a radio set at the site.

"We also discovered crossbows and arrows, walkie talkies and ammunitions," he said.

Explosives found

He said that his men also found an unexploded 40mm bullet which was used in grenade launchers and other improvised explosives at the site.

The improvised explosives were made using PVC pipes measuring two to three inches, he added.

On cross-examination by defence counsel Kitson Foong, Loc Hamaca said that a police officer had already entered the Al-Ma'unah hideout for negotiations when he and his team arrived.

He agreed that the enemy had not fired shots at them when they reached the area saying that some of the members were not armed.

He, however, disagreed that some of the enemy had actually surrendered by the time his team got there.

Enemy did not surrender

To questions by defence counsel Zaini Zainol, Loc Hamaca reiterated that the enemy members were captured and had not surrendered earlier to the police officer, whom he identified as ASP Abdul Razak Mohd Yusof.

He also disagreed that his team only went to the enemy camp after being radioed by Abdul Razak of their (the enemy's) surrender.

Earlier, another witness, ASP Omar Kamaruddin said he had arrested one of the defendants, Khairul Anuar Mohd Ariffin, at the Bandar Baru Bangi police station on July 7.

"He was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the Al-Ma'unah group and handed over to a Special Branch officer from Bukit Aman," he said.

Omar, a senior Special Branch officer, said Khairul came to the police station voluntarily and had not resisted when placed under arrest.

Khairul, a computer analyst who designed the Al-Ma'unah webpage, was one of the two defendants who were not arrested at Bukit Jenalik.

Yesterday, witness ASP Salleh Hanipah said that he had arrested one of the 29 defendants, Shahidi Ali, in Paka, Dungun, Terengganu on July 6 for his suspected involvement with the group.

A new development

Meanwhile, a development in the trial is expected to take place on Monday when the hearing resumes with the charge facing some of the defendants being reduced.

Senior deputy public prosecutor Abdul Gani Patail briefly told reporters the Attorney-General's Chambers was studying representations made by several defence counsel for the reduction in charge against their clients.

Several of the defence counsel who spoke to malaysiakini confirmed that some of their clients, expected to total 19, may have their charges reduced on Monday.

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