KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--A Malaysian court said Monday that 19 members of an Islamic cult on trial for treason would have to make a legal defense against charges of attempting to overthrow the government.
High Court Judge Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin ruled that the prosecution had established a case that the defendants were involved in attempting to mount an armed revolt, and that the defense phase of the trial would need to proceed.
Over the past seven months, the prosecution has called witnesses to show that the Al-Ma'unah cult had stolen enough weapons for a small army from two armories in northern Malaysia and killed two hostages during a subsequent standoff with security forces.
A total of 29 members of the sect surrendered after the four-day confrontation last July.
Prosecutors eventually offered to reduce charges for 16 suspects who allegedly played lesser roles. Only 10 defendants accepted the offer, and each received a 10-year prison sentence.
Cult members had stated that their aim was to overthrow the government, led since 1981 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and to impose an Islamic state on this Southeast Asian country of 22 million people, mostly Muslim.