The father of Siti Noor Aishah Atam made a tearful plea for his daughter's release after the former Master's student was re-arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

Expressing shock over her re-arrest, Atam Jusoh, 61, claimed that his daughter, who was detained on a charge of being in possession of 12 terrorism-related books, was instructed by her lecturer to do research on those books.

"I'm disappointed with what has happened to my daughter. I urge the authorities to release her immediately so that she can continue her studies.

"I'm sorry, I can't talk further. I'm just too sad thinking about my daughter," Atam said, amid sobs, during a press conference in the Parliament building.

Atam was accompanied by his wife, Sadiah Ibrahim, 57, as well as Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) representatives and several opposition MPs.

A memorandum calling for Aishah's release would be submitted to the Home Ministry later today.

Currently detained at the Kajang Prison, she was re-arrested on Monday at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

Aishah had gone to court for the hearing of an appeal filed by the deputy public prosecutor against last September's decision of the High Court in acquitting her for the possession of the 12 books.

She was previously detained under the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca), as well as under Sosma.

Aishah, 29, was first arrested in March last year, under Section 130JB of the Penal Code and Sosma, for the possession of the 12 books allegedly related to terrorism.

The following month, she was charged in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, where she pleaded not guilty to the possession of the books, after which the case proceeded to trial.

The former Universiti Malaya Master’s in Usuluddin (Islamic Studies) student had said she was using the books for her Master’s degree research.

After her arrest in March last year, Universiti Malaya dismissed her, for failing to attend classes.

In September last year, the High Court acquitted and released her on all the charges after no prima facie case was established against her.

On the same day she was acquitted, Aishah was re-arrested under Poca and detained for 60 days.

Upon her release under Poca, she was put under house arrest, with an electronic monitoring device attached to her. She was also not allowed to travel out of her district of Sura in Dungun, Terengganu, without police approval.