Arrest and prosecution After Operation Daulat was launched, 443 individuals were held for various offences while 121 were held under the
Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA). The total number arrested under SOSMA later decreased to 104, mostly
Filipinos who were suspected of having links to Kiram III. These included family members of Kiram III who had entered the state of
Sabah using assumed identities. 149 Sulu gunmen were arrested and eight were charged with waging war against the King, a charge that carried the
death penalty in Malaysia. On 6 August 2013, the Kota Kinabalu High Court convicted
Corporal Hassan Ali Basari, a
Malaysian Special Branch officer, of intentionally withholding information about the intrusion of Sulu gunmen at Lahad Datu between January and March 2013. The Malaysian Special Branch is the country's main internal security and domestic intelligence agency. The prosecution successfully argued that Hassan's intention not to inform his superiors resulted in casualties and fatalities on the Malaysian side. Hassan was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, the maximum permitted jail term.
Burials In 2013 during the ensuing conflict, Malaysian authorities announced that deceased militants would be buried in the state if their bodies were not claimed by their relatives, in compliance with the
Geneva Conventions.
Death of Kiram III On 20 October 2013, Jamalul Kiram III died of
multiple organ failure in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. His family stated that they would continue their main objective to reclaim Sabah. The Royal Malaysia Police in
Sabah responded by stating that they "would continue to be alert for any intrusion". On 13 January 2015, Agbimuddin Kiram – who led the group to invade Sabah under the instruction of the late Jamalul Kiram III – died of
cardiac arrest in Tawi-Tawi where he had been in hiding. Proceedings began at Kota Kinabalu Central Prison in
Kepayan, where the charges were read in English,
Malay and
Suluk. Among those prosecuted were Kiram III's nephew, Datu Amir Bahar Hushin Kiram, who abandoned his men in Tanduo but was caught by Malaysian security forces hiding in the swamps around Semporna. . On 5 February 2016, 19 of the 30 were ordered to enter their defence in the High Court of Kota Kinabalu. Justice Stephen Chung made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a
prima facie case against them: 16 Filipinos (including one woman) and three local men. Nine of the 16 Filipinos: Atik Hussin Abu Bakar, Basad H. Manuel, Ismail Yasin, Virgilio Nemar Patulada, Mohammad Alam Patulada, Salib Akhmad Emali, Al Wazir Osman, Abdul, Tani Lahaddahi, Julham Rashid and Datu Amir Bahar Hushin Kiram were alleged to have waged war against the King, a
capital offence. Six Filipinos, Lin Mad Salleh, Holland Kalbi, Habil Suhaili, Timhar Hadir, Aiman Radie and a Malaysian man, Abdul Hadi Mawan were accused of being a member in a terrorist group, which was punishable with life imprisonment and fine. The sole Filipina Norhaida Ibnahi was ordered to enter her defence for allegedly wilfully harbouring individuals she knew to be members of a terrorist group, which was punishable with 20 years to life imprisonment and fine, or both. Local Mohamad Ali Ahmad and Filipino Basil Samiul were acquitted of waging war and of membership in a terrorist group, but were later charged with soliciting or supporting a terrorist group, to which they pleaded not guilty. The new charge was made after Justice Chung found the prosecution had shown evidence that they had solicited or given support to a terrorist group, punishable with life imprisonment or a fine. Another Malaysian named Pabblo Alie was charged with soliciting support for a terrorist group, an offence punishable with up to 30 years imprisonment and a fine. Another three, Aiman Radie and Malaysians Pablo Alie and Mohamad Ali Ahmad, all Filipinos, also pleaded guilty. On 23 April, one of the Filipino accused, Habil Suhaili died from an
asthma attack in the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It was reported that he had been ill throughout the trial. On 25 July 2016, the court found that nine Filipino militants who led the intrusion could face the death penalty: Atik Hussin Abu Bakar, Basad H. Manuel, Ismail Yasin, Virgilio Nemar Patulada, Mohammad Alam Patulada, Salib Akhmad Emali, Al Wazir Osman, Tani Lahaddahi, Julham Rashid and Datu Amir Bahar Hushin Kiram. All were spared by the court and given
life sentences instead, as the court found no evidence that they were directly involved in the skirmishes, nor was there proof that they had killed any member of the security force or injured anybody. Others found guilty were local Abdul Hadi Mawan, Filipino Timhar Habil, Habil Suhaili (deceased during trial) and a sole Filipina, Norhaida Ibnahi bringing the total to 13. On 8 June 2017, following the appeal by prosecutors to upgrade nine of the convicted's life sentences to death penalty, the
Malaysian Court of Appeal sentenced them to death. The judges said the men had meticulously planned the incursion, stating that: On 15 January 2018, the highest court in Malaysia, the
Federal Court rejected their appeal and upheld their death sentence. After the passing of the
Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 [Act 846] and Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023 [Act 847], seven of the nine Filipinos who were sentenced to death filed for a review on their death sentence, but their application was unanimously rejected by the
Federal Court of Malaysia on 2 October 2024. The two other Filipinos, Ismail Yasin and Salib Akhmad Emali, were unable to apply for a review on their death sentence as they had died in prison.
Repercussions Tanduo after its transformation into a Malaysian Army camp and headquarters in 2014. Thousands of Filipinos who had
illegally resided in Malaysia, some for decades, were deported following the conflict and ensuing security-related crackdown. Some of these were forced to leave family members behind. From January to November 2013, a total of nine thousand Filipinos were repatriated from Sabah, Many
overseas Filipinos who remained subsequently faced
discrimination. They became possible targets for retaliation, especially from the local Bornean tribes, because the Malaysian police officers were mainly indigenous Borneans.
Further arrests and the killing of more Sulu militants On 22 April 2014, a 57-year-old man in Lahad Datu who claimed to have been given the power to manage the
Suluk people in Sabah was arrested for displaying the Sulu Sultanate flag at his home. Later on 25 June, six suspected Sulu terrorists were arrested and their weapons seized in Kunak. Membership cards, appointment letters by the Sulu sultanate, and documents linked to the sultanate were discovered. It was later revealed that one of a suspect who was a police corporal, had family ties in the southern Philippines. These suspects had allegedly drawn up plans to form an "army" of terrorists, with plans to mount another incursion and may have been linked to the recent kidnappings in eastern Sabah. On 22 July, three people — a
Bajau, a Suluk, and one Filipino illegal immigrant — were held for joining a bid to claim Sabah for the Sulu sultanate. The three were believed to have been recruiting new members. On 30 October 2014, two men identified as the members of the Sulu militants were shot dead by police in
Penampang. Both suspects had committed robberies to raise funds for their activities and tried to recruit new members.
Naturalised locals involvement On 6 May 2015, Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim said some locals together with Filipino illegal immigrants had provided information to intruders during the invasion of Lahad Datu and other incidents. He stated:
Economic impacts The 2013 attack affected trade relations, especially with the Philippines side of
Tawi-Tawi where most of goods came from Sabah. In 2015, the Malaysian police proposed to ban the activities. This was opposed by their Philippine counterparts. The ban came into effect in 2016 with majority support from Sabahan residents. The ban was removed in 2017 following the increase of security from the Filipino side. Despite the return of barter activity, Sabah maintained they would remain cautious on trade.
Malaysian politician meeting with Jacel Kiram On 9 November 2015, the
allegation of political motives towards one of the
Malaysian opposition parties behind the incursion was strengthened when the daughter of de facto leader of the
Malaysian People's Justice Party (PKR)
Nurul Izzah Anwar was seen taking a
selfie with Jacel Kiram holding a poster stating "#Release
Anwar immediately". Izzah claimed that she and Tian Chua were invited to meet with stakeholders from the Philippines, adding that they also met other Filipino politicians such as
Hermilando Mandanas and
Regina Reyes. She emphasized her support for Malaysian government initiatives in
peace negotiations in southern Philippines, as well defending Sabah's sovereignty as part of the Malaysian federation. Her intention was however still questioned from various Sabahan politicians and residents. One Sabahan politician said: The Malaysian government considered referring Izzah to the
Parliament to assess the possibility of an illicit deal. She was banned from entering the states of Sabah and neighbouring
Sarawak on the grounds of failing to show sensitivity. On 22 November 2015, Izzah filed a defamation lawsuit against Malaysian Inspector Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar and Rural and Regional Development Minister
Ismail Sabri Yaakob. On 18 April 2018, Izzah won the case and they were ordered to pay Izzah RM1 million for all the damages made towards her reputation.
Sulu militants arms discovery On 4 January 2016, a team of 15-
General Operations Force (GOF) members led by two officers discovered a weapons cache comprising two
M14 rifles, one
Uzi machine pistol, three
Colt .45 pistols, one revolver, a pair of handcuffs and 173 bullets of different calibres in Lahad Datu following a tip from local villagers while the team was conducting an operation in the area. The weapons were believed to have been buried by surviving militants before they fled back to the Philippines.
Honours . On 11 August 2017, the
Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) held the 'Daulat Feb 2013' Battle Honour parade and award presentation ceremony at the
Merdeka Square, Kota Kinabalu to honour the soldiers who died in the line of duty. The award was bestowed on 24 teams for their sincerity, efficiency and perseverance. Defence Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein presented the 'Pingat Kedaulatan Negara' (PKN) to 61 MAF officers and personnel. ==Reactions==