KUALA LUMPUR: PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu was arrested by police on May 6 ahead of the Perak State Legislative Assembly sitting in Ipoh on May 7.

He was picked up by police near party organ Harakah’s office in Jalan Pahang Barat here at about 3.10pm and taken to an undisclosed location.

It is learnt that the arrest of Mohamad Sabu, better known as Mat Sabu, could be related to his appeal for party supporters to converge at the Istihad Mosque in Ipoh at 5am on May 7 for prayers in conjunction with the state legislative assembly sitting.

He had urged the supporters to pray that God would soften the hearts of those arrogant enough to steal the rights of the Perak people to self-determination and that the state legislative assembly would be dissolved to pave way for fresh polls in the state.

PAS national Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, who was with Mat Sabu at the time of the arrest, confirmed that a group of policemen in three vehicles arrested Mat Sabu the moment he stepped out of a restaurant in Jalan Pahang Barat.

Salahuddin said the police, believed to be from the special branch, did not provide a warrant for the arrest and that he too was in the dark as to where Mat Sabu was taken.

Initial reports suggested Mat Sabu was brought to the Sentul district police headquarters following his arrest. However, Sentul OCPD Assistant Commissioner Zakaria Pagan, when contacted, said he was unaware of the arrest and that the police from the Sentul district were not part of the arresting team.

The arrest came just a day after the police detained civil society activist Wong Chin Huat under the Sedition Act. Wong, a spokesman for the Coalition for a Clean and Fair Election (Bersih), is being remanded for three days.

Till press time, the reason for Mat Sabu’s arrest was still unclear, though party sources said the seasoned politician was likely to be brought to Perak to face charges following a police report that was made against him in Slim River.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang told The Edge Financial Daily that the arrest was quite clearly related to the impending gathering organised by Mat Sabu for PAS supporters to pray hours before an anticipated “fiery” state legislative assembly sitting on May 7.

Lim, who is also MP for Ipoh Timur, described the arrest as a preventive strike by the government to quell the opposition’s strength ahead of the sitting.

“The arrest is shocking and outrageous. There is no justification for it,” he said.