[Star] Two Abu Sayyaf militants, who were arrested in a nationwide police swoop on insurgents earlier this month, were sentenced to five months' jail on an immigration violation. The pair, rubber tapper Hassan Ali and construction worker Din Abdilla, were also ordered to be given a stroke of the rotan.Hassan, a father of 10 children, has been living in Sabah for the last 38 years, while Din, who has six children, has been living in there for the last 13 years.
The two, who were brought to the Kota Kinabalu courthouse Tuesday under a tight security ring, were arrested on November 1 at Kampung Unggusan in Tenom during anti-terror operation by Bukit Aman.
On November 16, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said that seven Filipino-based Abu Sayyaf militants and a Malaysian Islamic State member were rounded up by the federal police in anti-terror swoops in Putrajaya and Sabah. He said that the suspects were arrested by the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division between Oct 30 and Nov 12.