Pakistani charged with US pastor murder in Malaysia

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A Malaysian court on Thursday charged a Pakistani security guard with the murder of a US pastor, who was found strangled at his home in Kuala Lumpur last month, a report said.

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.

Ginter had been a senior pastor at the BridgeInternationalChurch 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.