ISIS Militants' Supporters Face Trial In Malaysia For Funding Group Through Islamist Blog

A Malaysian court has charged two of the country's citizens with funding militants of the Islamic State group through their blog called Revolusi Islam, The Star reported Wednesday. The latest report comes at a time when countries in the Middle East are reportedly set to implement an action plan to cut ISIS off from its vital sources of cash.

According to The Star, the case will be transferred to the High Court, and if proven guilty, the two Malaysians could be sentenced with up to 30 years in jail. The offenders could also face a fine or the confiscation of any belongings used for terrorist activities, RIA Novosti reported. In recent weeks, Malaysian police have arrested three locals for allegedly supporting ISIS.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has reportedly said that the country, which considers ISIS a terrorist organization, will support all actions against the extremist group.

The report about the detention of the two Malaysians over funding ISIS follows a report from Monday, which stated that officials from 30 countries in the Middle East are exploring effective ways to starve ISIS of cash.

According to a report from the Guardian earlier this year, the group’s assets grew from around $875 million to over $2 billion after the fall of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. And, according to estimates from the Pentagon, ISIS earns about $1 million a day from oil sales and ransoms for the release of hostages.

“They have managed to get into new areas and new fields, taking control of territories, taking control of oil fields establishing rackets, ransoms everywhere,” Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, told CNN.

Officials in the Middle East have said that constricting the group's access to cash would be an effective way of dealing with ISIS, which is believed to receive the biggest chunk of its revenues from six oil fields in Syria and several others in Iraq.

More than 30,000 militants, many of whom are foreign nationals from Western countries, are believed to be fighting for the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.