KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 ― Muslim preacher Zamihan Mat Zin who is under investigation for sedition will be released from police detention today, his lawyer Fakhrul Azman Abu Hasan told Malay Mail Online.

Fakhrul Azman said the police’s request to extend the remand until Monday was rejected by a magistrate at the Dang Wangi police station yesterday.

"The police will release him today, maybe around 1 to 2pm,” he said in a text message.

"Yesterday, they wanted to continue until Monday, but the magistrate did not allow it,” he added, referring to the remand.

On Thursday, the police were allowed to detain the Sunni Organisation Malaysia (Aswaja) president for two days while they investigate him for sedition over remarks uttered in a video clip.

Fakhrul Azman said the investigation was under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, adding that he had among other things highlighted to the magistrate regarding the less severe nature of the case.

Under the existing version of the Sedition Act 1948, offences committed for the first time under Section 4(1) are punishable with a maximum RM5,000 fine or maximum three-year jail term or both. Subsequent offences would be punishable with a maximum five-year jail term.

Zamihan was arrested on Wednesday following controversy over his Sunday video lecture in which he complained about "a sultan” who criticised a Muslim-only laundry and described the Chinese as unclean as they allegedly did not wash after urinating and defecating.

In a statement then, he rejected reports that he was referring to the Sultan of Johor and insisted he did not specifically name any Malay Ruler, but went on to apologise to Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar over any offence caused.

Sultan Ibrahim previously said in a published interview that Johor was not a "Taliban” state and that the laundry owner should "migrate to Afghanistan” if the latter was unhappy with a directive to end the allegedly discriminatory policy of serving Muslim customers only.

After Zamihan claimed he was not attached to the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), the agency confirmed he was an employee and his case has been referred to its disciplinary board for further action.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) has also started a probe into Zamihan’s Sunday lecture, and has temporarily barred him from delivering any religious lecture in the state’s mosques.