KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Police have detained Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who has been leading boycott calls against local convenience store chain KK Mart, over the sale of several socks with “Allah” wording printed on them.
In a statement today, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razaruddin Husain said that Dr Akmal is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1958 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.
“He has been investigated and the investigation papers will be sent to the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) after all the steps to complete the investigation are done,” Razaruddin said in a statement today.
Razaruddin said that the police had acted after two police reports were made relating to Dr Akmal's speeches and actions, linked to the socks.
He also advised the public to not bring up issues relating to the "Allah" socks fiasco, as those involved in the matter have already been charged in court.
Dr Akmal was detained in Sabah today, and the state police commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun confirmed that police had taken him in for questioning based on reports made.He is expected to be released once his statement is recorded.
Dr Akmal is also due to have his statement recorded at the Dang Wangi District Police headquarters here, tomorrow
Three weeks ago, at the start of the socks issue, Dr Akmal had also posted a photo on Instagram of him bearing a Japanese sword. His caption said he would not change his stance for anything and he “preferred to die standing than living on his knees”.
This prompted lawyers’ movement, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), to question the police as to why he has not been questioned for the controversial social media post.
