KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Datuk Bung Moktar Radin apologised today for saluting Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in his praise of the German World Cup team’s win over Brazil, moments after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak condemned the remarks as “unacceptable and wrong”.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) MP took to his Twitter page to issue the apology, saying he had “unintentionally” hurt the feelings of Germans with his remarks, which has sparked international outrage.

The outspoken lawmaker then ended the apology with a “long live Bung” parting shot.

“When Germany whacked Brazil, I unintentionally said something that hurt d feeling of d ppl in Germany.MY SINCEREST APOLOGY.LONG LIVE BUNG..,” Bung wrote using his Twitter handle @MyKinabatangan.

The Kinabatangan MP’s apology comes minutes after the PM’s series of tweets condemning the Umno lawmaker and attempts at damage control over the negative publicity Bung’s remarks have caused.

“The comments made by Datuk Bung Moktar are unacceptable and wrong, and he will withdraw them. He does not speak for Malaysia, or for ordinary Malaysians, who understand Europe’s tragic past, and respect its modern unity.

“This should be a time of celebration for Germany, and we wish them all the best in the final,” Najib tweeted via his handle @NajibRazak.

The Prime Minister also issued a statement to the media on the matter.

In the euphoria following Germany’s thrashing of Brazil during the World Cup semi-finals yesterday, Bung Moktar tweeted a salute to Hitler and drew a flurry of criticism from other Twitters users. An unrepentant Bung then heaped abuse on them.

“Well done… Bravo… Long live Hitler…” the federal lawmaker posted on the microblogging site via the Twitter handle @MyKinabatangan.

He later claimed the tweet was made in jest, and that he was commending the German team for “fighting like” Hitler.

Austrian-born Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany between 1934 and 1945, and was at the centre of World War II.

Hitler was also behind the Holocaust, the mass extermination and execution of millions of European Jews in concentration camps.

Germany’s ambassador to Malaysia Holger Michael had objected to Bung’s salute of Hitler in his praise for the country’s performance in the World Cup, saying the comparison was “unacceptable”.

In a statement emailed to The Malay Mail Online, Michael said: “While we appreciate the admiration for the German football team, we strongly reject the unacceptable allusion to the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler,” the ambassador said in a statement.”

But Bung Moktar stuck to his guns, insisting on his Twitter page later that that the ambassador “doesn’t get it”.

Bung’s Hitler salute has since made headlines in a number of well-known foreign publications such as UK’s BBC and Daily Mail and US’s The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.