Malaysian government speaks out on case of Malaysian national arrested in Somalia

Malaysia’s foreign ministry says it is closely monitoring the arrest of a Malaysian man who allegedly entered Somalia to take part in al-Shabaab activities, according to a hearing at a military tribunal.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said officials at the Malaysian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, had sent a team to Mogadishu to assess the health and legal process following the arrest of Ahmed Mustakim Abdul Hamid.

“The ministry will continue to monitor the events of the case and provide the necessary assistance while ensuring that his rights and welfare are always protected and that he receives a fair trial in accordance with the law.”

“We have to respect the laws of the land, and we may ask our embassy representatives to attend his trial,” he told a news conference at the Parliamentary Service Center Indera Mahkota.

Earlier, Saifuddin visited the Rapha Children’s Home and Special Needs Child Care Center and distributed Moon Milk ratio’s and Cash Assistance.

The Somali Armed Forces Court has on several previous occasions sentenced foreign men working with Al-Shabaab and ISIS in Somalia.