The Malaysian Insider managing editor Lionel Morais has been arrested over a news report regarding the Conference of Rulers rejecting the hudud bill.

 Also detained are senior editors Amin Shah Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong.

The trio were apprehended under the Sedition Act 1948 and taken to the Dang Wangi police district headquarters.

"They are to be detained at Dang Wangi the whole night," their lawyer Syahredzan Johan told Malaysiakini .

The police also seized their mobile phones and computers.

The news portal's office in Petaling Jaya was raided at about 5.45pm this evening by about a dozen police and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) personnel.

The trio are investigated under Section 4 of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious material and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities or network service.

Rulers did not discuss hudud

If found guilty, they can be fined up to RM5,000 and jailed up to three years or both.

Under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, they can be fined up to RM50,000, jailed up to a year or both.

Last week, the keeper of the royal seal had lodged a police report on the spread of a false press release on the Conference of Rulers' view on hudud law.

The press release claiming the rulers are angry with The Malaysian Insider circulated after the portal's report that the rulers had rejected the implementation of hudud.

Syed Danial Syed Ahmad in his police report said the press release did not originate from his office as reported by some media organisations.

"The Conference of Rulers did not discuss the matter. We did not issue any press release on March 25," he said.

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