Police have remanded a member of PAS’ volunteer corps Unit Amal to aid investigations into the torching of Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s official vehicle.
“The Unit Amal member was remanded to assist with investigations for four days beginning yesterday.
“However, I was made to understand that the member is not the prime suspect.
“The prime suspect is not from Unit Amal or PAS. We don’t know who the person is,” Unit Amal director Mohd Nazree Mohd Aris told Malaysiakini.
Nazree thus questioned if there were ulterior motives behind the arrest.
“I am shocked at why the police caught my personnel when they were not involved, and possess no criminal record.
“The prime suspects were captured by the CCTV outside the mufti’s house. One of them is a drug addict and has a record of committing five serious crimes, while the other remains at large.
“The police’s actions have been strange, and I feel that there are certain parties who are trying to persecute us,” he claimed.
On Sunday, police arrested a 36-year-old man who confessed to have, together with a friend, set fire to Asri’s black Honda Accord on March 22 after being paid RM500.
According to the suspect, the people who paid him were on a mission to harm the mufti, and had initially wanted his face splashed with acid.
The police are investigating the case under Section 435 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire with an intent to cause damage, which is punishable by up to 14 years’ jail and a fine.
Meanwhile, the administrator of Asri’s Facebook account posted several pictures of individuals whom it claimed were from PAS’ Unit Amal, saying “reports” had suggested their involvement in the March 22 incident.
“It is true that Asri sometimes expresses views different from those in PAS,” the post said.
“The question is, if they do not agree, do they justify the destruction of property and harm to those with differing views?
“Why not just organise a scholarly debate between Asri’s views and those of PAS on the issue of Muslims calling each other infidels?”
The administrator also voiced hope that Muslims do not resort to such actions simply because others have differing political views.
“Dr Maza is now in Sabah,” it said, referring to Asri by his popular nickname. “We will wait for his views when he returns to Perlis.”