(AFP) Lawyers have filed a court application seeking to free the son of the spiritual leader of opposition Islamic party detained under a security law, an official said today.

A 'habeas corpus' application was submitted yesterday to a high court in Kelantan to challenge the arrest of Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz under the Internal Security Act (ISA), said Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) youth chief Mahfuz Omar.

The hearing has been fixed for Sept 5, the Sun newspaper reported.

Nik Adli, 34, is a teacher at a religious school in Kelantan and the son of Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, PAS's influential spiritual leader and Kelantan chief minister.

He was among 10 people arrested earlier this month under the ISA, which allows indefinite detention without trial, on suspicion of being members of the so-called "Malaysian Mujahideen Group" waging a "holy war".

Accused of being a ringleader

Police have accused Nik Adli of being the ringleader of the group, which is blamed for a spate of crimes including robbery, murder and bombing a church and an Indian temple.

At least six others detained were also PAS members.

Mahfuz said that PAS would help family members of the other nine ISA detainees file habeas corpus applications this week.

He said there was no evidence of their wrongdoing so far and accused the government of "trying to label our members as extremists" to curb the party's appeal among ethnic Malays.

PAS, which rules Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu, is the main opposition party after making major gains in 1999 elections at the expense of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling United Malays National Organisation.