The alleged mastermind of two foiled bomb plots is due to appear at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on October 2. Sam Ek, of the Tiger Liberation Movement, is charged in connection with a planned attack on the Defence Ministry and state television station TV3 in January 2009, and a failed attempt to bomb the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship Monument on July 29, 2007. Sam Ek, arrested in Banteay Mancheay on January 7, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Chheng Sophors, a senior investigator for the rights group Licadho, said he would attend the hearing to ensure fairness for the accused.