Two more Pakistanis charged with US pastor murder in Malaysia

Pastor Ginter was found in his home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur early May with his hands and feet bound.

KUALA LAMPUR: Another two Pakistani men were charged in court Thursday with the murder of an American pastor who was found strangled in his Malaysian home last month, a report said.

One of their countrymen, who worked as a security guard, was already charged last week with murdering David James Ginter, 62.

Ginter was found in his home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur early May with his hands and feet bound and a mobile phone charger cable wrapped around his neck.

State news agency Bernama reported Shaheen Murad, 37, and Hassan Raza, 21, were charged at a district court.

No plea was recorded from the two unemployed accused, who face the death penalty. Two more suspects are still at large, Bernama said.

The report gave no further details, such as a possible motive. Court officials and prosecutors could not be reached by AFP.

The next court date is set for July 18.

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.