KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — Police have arrested two individuals suspected to have been involved in yesterday’s ruckus at a political event where a mob heckled Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman at a political event in Johor yesterday evening.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said a special task force has been formed to investigate the matter transparently and with no compromise towards those found violating the law.
“So far we have detained two individuals to assist investigations. Efforts are underway to trace others who were involved in the incident.
“The case is being investigated under four sections in the Penal Code,” he said in a statement.
The four are Section 153 for illegally provoking a person to cause rioting, Section 355 for assaulting or using criminal force to dishonour a person, Section 357 for assaulting or using criminal force to wrongfully confine a person, and Section 506 for criminal intimidation.
“I call upon all parties to respect the rule of law, and not act in any manner which is provocative and threatens the public peace.
“The public is also advised to not politicise the incident, and spread any baseless information via any communication or social media platform,” Abdul Hamid said.
Earlier today, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he instructed the police to look into the matter, saying he viewed the incident “very seriously”.
Syed Saddiq was attending a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Youth event at a restaurant in Ulu Tiram, Johor, together with his parents when a group began surrounding their table, yelling, heckling, and demanding he leave the state.
The mob became sufficiently unruly until Syed Saddiq, his family, and several others, were forced to escape the venue. The Bersatu Youth chief also alleged the mob individuals were linked with Umno.
The incident has since been condemned by other Pakatan Harapan legislators, including Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah who called for swift police action to be taken, and Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim who said political samseng (gangsterism) did not belong in Malaysia Baru.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki denied the party had anything to do with last night’s incident, and has since said Umno Youth will file a police report against Syed Saddiq for saying so, as well as initiate legal procedures against him.
