Blogger Zakhir Mohamed had his statement recorded by the Penang police over his blog article that sparked the 'Christian conspiracy' row.

This is said to be the first time the pro-Umno blogger has been questioned by the police over the article, which was one of two sources for the May 7 front page Utusan Malaysia article titled ' Kristian Agama Rasmi?' (Christianity the official religion?).

zakhir mohamed police statement 160511 Better known by his pen name Big Dog, Zakhir told reporters later that he was in Penang "by chance" and was "invited" by the police to "assist in investigations".

He said the police spent about one hour recording his statement, but refused to provide any details.

"I am sorry. I cannot reveal what went on inside," he told reporters about 7.45pm.

The reporters had been staking out at the Jalan Pattani police station since 3pm.

Zakhir said two police officers were present during the questioning, one of whom he said was the investigating officer and the other, "an observer".

Pastors also quizzed

Asked if he provided any evidence to the police to back his claim in his blog article, Zakhir said "no".

He said that he came to the police station unaccompanied and was planning to return to Kuala Lumpur, where he lives, tonight.

He and another pro-Umno blogger called Marahku had said in their blog articles that a a group of pastors at a gathering in Penang on May 6 hatched a plot to usurp Islam's role as the official religion.

They also claimed that the group, together with the DAP, intended to install a Christian as prime minister. On May 7, Utusan ran the story on its front page, using the two blogs as its source.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that a group of pastors who were present at the May 6 gathering were present at the police station earlier today for questioning.

State police chief Ayub Yaacob declined to comment, saying he had not been not kept abreast of the latest developments as he was not in Penang.

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