PHNOM PENH, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court has charged eight people with organizing a combat group and trafficking weapons, a court spokesman said on Tuesday.

Authorities arrested them last week in separate operations in Phnom Penh City, Kampot province, and Pursat province, and seized a total of 28 AK-47 assault rifles.

"The prosecutor has decided to charge them with participating in a combat group, organizing a combat group, and trafficking weapons and explosives under the Articles 485, 486 and 488 of the Criminal Code," Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Ly Sophana told reporters.

Under the charges, if convicted, the suspects can be jailed between 8 and 18 years.

According to a police report, the suspects are allegedly linked to the Denmark-based Khmer National Liberation Front (KNLF), which has been branded a terrorist group by the Cambodian government.

The KNLF is led by fugitive dissident Sam Serey, who received political asylum in Denmark in 2011.

In 2016, a Cambodian court sentenced him in absentia to nine years in prison for allegedly plotting an attack.