ALOR STAR: A local blogger who had been on the run after allegedly posting death threats aimed at Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir via his Facebook account on Friday was arrested in Shah Alam yesterday evening.
State Criminal Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nashir Ya said the 37-year-old suspect was arrested about 5.45pm yesterday.
Nashir said the suspect would be sent back to Kedah for investigation under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation, which carries a jail sentence of up to seven years, a fine and whipping upon conviction.
“We will bring the suspect to the Alor Star Magistrate’s Court tomorrow morning (today) for remand proceedings.”
It was reported that the suspect had threatened to kill Mukhriz and the sultan of Kedah’s principal private secretary, Datuk Paduka Syed Unan Mashri Syed Abdullah, via the suspect’s Facebook account on Friday.
In the post, the blogger had said he would kill Mukhriz and Syed Unan if anyone could supply him with bullets and a pistol.
As of Saturday, police had received more than 20 reports from all parts of the state, urging police to take swift action against the suspect.
In his original posting, the suspect had vented his frustration against Mukhriz for allegedly failing to stop the demolition of Madrasah Salihiah Kanchut in Jalan Tambang Badak here to make way for
a shopping mall project.
It had been reported that the approval for the madrasah’s demolition, which sat on century-old wakaf land, was approved during the previous Pas-led state government and was not under the purview of the current Barisan Nasional-led state administration.
In 2011, the Pas-led state government had granted permission to demolish the 106-year-old madrasah to make way for a RM500 million shopping-cum-residential project.