KUBANG PASU: Police have obtained a four-day remand order against an 'ustaz' from Kulim over a social media comment allegedly containing slander and criminal intimidation elements against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said the 'ustaz' was arrested following five separate police reports lodged in the state yesterday evening.
In the comment, the 43-year-old 'ustaz' allegedly wrote: "Anuar is getting crazier… most people said this is Zionist agenda… it is confirmed that he is a Zionist lackey. It is permissible to kill him."
"The complainants lodged police reports after coming across a screenshot posted in page over a comment made by the suspect in a WhatsApp group.
"Upon seeing the comment, they believed the comment was a criminal intimidation against the PM and with political element, before lodging a report at the Kampung Tanjung police station in Padang Terap district," he said in a press conference at Kubang Pasu police headquarters here today.
He said based on initial investigation, the man had posted the comment in a WhatsApp group before it was shared on Facebook and went viral.
Fisol said police have also received four separate reports over the same posting in Padang Terap, Kubang Pasu, Kuala Muda and Kulim districts.
Acting on the reports, police team from Padang Terap and Kulim districts arrested the man and seized his smartphone yesterday evening.
He added that police were granted a four-day remand order against the man for further investigation.
Fisol said the case has been classified under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act and the investigation is being handled by the federal police team from Bukit Aman.
He also urged the public to refrain from making any comment or posting that contain slander and criminal intimidation elements in social media platforms.
"I wish to stress here that the police are not taking action based on political interest, but based on crime committed due to security reasons.
"In this case, the man is an 'ustaz' at a religious school, in fact it was my former school. What I wish to stress here is that, even if we have differences with any individual, don't go the extend of committing criminal intimidation against the person.
"I don't want the people to accuse Kedah police of launching investigation because of being instructed to do so. We don't act based on political merit.
"We take action based on evidence. Even though the person has admitted his mistake and apologised, we have to take action because police reports have been lodged," he said.