A man suspected of assaulting a religious teacher during a Subuh lecture at a mosque in Tikam Batu on Saturday has been arrested.
Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Hanyan Ramlan said the local man, believed to be in his 30s, was detained to assist investigations into the incident.
Police checks found that the suspect had four previous records related to drug offences, he said.
“The incident was reported at about 7.10am and the arrest was made at around 1pm on Saturday.
“The detention was made because he is suspected of being linked to the incident shown in the viral video,” Hanyan said.
He added that police were still investigating the motive behind the alleged assault.
The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt and Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.
Earlier, a 55-second video of the incident circulated widely on social media.
The footage appeared to show a man entering the mosque before walking towards the front and allegedly striking the religious teacher on the head while worshippers were listening to the Subuh lecture.
Other congregants appeared shocked by the sudden incident, while the man was then seen walking out of the mosque.
Police are continuing investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the assault and the reason behind the suspect’s actions.
