The Star reported that the two men – businessman A. Kalaimughilan, 26, from Rawang and taxi driver V. Balamurugan, 32, pleaded not guilty to charges of rioting and causing injuries to the victim at about 3pm at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The charge was read under Section 147 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum two years jail term, a fine, or both upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Fariza Hamzah requested for bail to be set at RM20,000 each, saying their act had smeared the country’s image.

Lawyer M. Manoharan, who represented the two however, pleaded for a lower bail amount as he said the accused were from poor families and had no criminal records.

Another counsel for the accused, A. Sivanesan, said his clients had cooperated with the police during their detention, and argued the bail amount was unreasonable.

Judge Muhammad Faizal Ismail then set bail at RM7,000 with one surety each and fixed October 7 for mention.

High Commissioner Ibrahim was assaulted at the airport by a group of men wanting to know the whereabouts of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa who was in Malaysia recently.

Four others who are believed to be involved in the assault are still at large.

The attack received widespread criticism from various quarters.