BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A local Bruneian man is facing up to seven years in prison and a 50,000 brunei dollars (37,200 U.S. dollars) fine after being charged in court for falsely reporting a bomb threat to the police, local media reported Thursday.
The defendant, 39-year-old Ak Ariffin Pg Mohammed, was charged with the offense under Brunei's Telecommunications Order 2001 after he called the police emergency hotline 993 on Monday and said there was a bomb at a supermarket in the sultanate's commercial center.
As a result, the Royal Brunei Police Force sealed off a busy section of the commercial center, including shops and nearby restaurants, forcing the commercial center to a standstill for nearly five hours.
The defendant was ordered to be remanded at the central police station in the capital until his next appearance in court.
In the prosecutions's application to have the defendant remanded under police custody, the deputy public prosecutor said that it was to allow investigators more time to question the defendant, his family members and other persons of interest in relation to the case.
The prosecution also said the defendant's mental health would be reviewed.
