David James Ginter, 62, was found dead in his home on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital in May, his hands and feet bound, and a mobile phone charger cable wrapped around his neck.
A Kuala Lumpur district court charged Shahbaz, 25, with the murder, which carries a mandatory death penalty by hanging, Bernama news agency reported, adding that four accomplices were believed to still be at large.
It said the defendant was recorded as having only one name and that no plea was recorded. The next court date was set for July 18.
The report gave no further details, such as a possible motive. Court officials and prosecutors could not be reached by AFP.
Ginter had been a senior pastor at the Bridge International Church in Kuala Lumpur for three years.
Police previously cited robbery as a possible motive, noting that the pastor's car was missing from his house.
Reports of burglaries and violent crime have surged in recent years in the country.
Police say statistics show they have managed to reduce crime, but anecdotes of break-ins, bag-snatching and violent crimes abound in the press and social media, fuelling widespread doubt about official crime figures.
COMMENTS (10)
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Might be one who again misunderstood the religion of piece.
I was in Malaysia recently and all I heard about crime was Indonesian gangs. People say that they work in building trade to learn how to break into houses. . Pakistanis and Indians are not known ANYWHERE in the world to be violent criminals. Some fraud issues in some European countries maybe, but not violent crimes. . Just don't make so much fuss about one murder case.....
@Haque
And your point is....
The argument that the west is against Pakistan and Muslims is not going to work here, would it? Unless we control our education system and take it away from the fundamentalists these incidents unfortunately would only increase. Hope justice would be carried out.
@RAW is WAR: what about the Indians who are involved in rape thingy
@ Haque.
Where you getting your information from?
Most top jobs are locked for Malaysians Bumiputra cast in Malaysia. Malay Chinese find it hard to find jobs because most are prioritised for muslim malays.
I know a Pakistani family living in Mont Kiara, which is the most prestigious ares in Malaysia. So please, get your facts straight. Chinese are not at the top, south asians are not at the bottom.
Pakistanis....... My god.
In Malaysia, South Asians located at the bottom of society. Chinese are located at the top. Chinese own all the businesses are wealthy
globalisation!!!