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Mataram. A US citizen residing on the island of Lombok will appear in court “within two or three days” on charges of blasphemy against Islam, police here said on Tuesday.

Central Lombok Police deputy chief Comr. Lalu Mahsun said the dossier on Luke Gregory Lloyd, 64, who is originally from California, had been accepted by the prosecutors’ office in the city of Praya, in the first step to the courtroom.

“We only have to wait for the trial now,” Mahsun said.

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 22 in which police said Lloyd entered a mosque near his house in Kuta, turned down the volume on its speakers and insulted Islam.

Luke was later attacked by a mob and his home and its contents destroyed.

Nurkholis, head of general crimes at the local prosecutors’ office, confirmed it had received the case file.

“Within two or three days, the US citizen will appear in court on two charges,” he said.

“The first is blasphemy and the second is disorderly conduct. That latter charge is because he is alleged to have unplugged and damaged the mosque’s microphone, which worshippers used for reciting the Koran.”

The nature of the blasphemy charge remains unclear. A blasphemy conviction can carry up to five years in jail.

Lloyd has vigorously denied the charges, saying he was assaulted without even having set foot in the mosque.

A friend has also testified that Lloyd’s grasp of Indonesian was too poor to allow him to make the offensive remarks attributed to him.

Police have not charged anyone with the destruction of Lloyd’s property, estimated at Rp 200 million ($22,400).