Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed regret and anger over the attack on his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Kota Bharu airport in Kelantan this morning.

The premier said he has instructed the police to conduct an immediate investigation and take stern action against those responsible.

"I regret and am very angry such an incident has happened," he told Bernama, adding that the police had informed him of the incident.

"I have directed Deputy Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan for the police to take immediate action to probe the incident and to take stern action against those who committed the act," he said.

Abdullah said those responsible for the incident should be severely punished.

Negative implications

He said the matter should be immediately resolved to avoid negative implications and misconception among the public.

The prime minister also feared that certain quarters would take advantage of the incident by disseminating rumours, especially through the Internet.

"As such, the police must be fast in tackling the issue by taking immediate and stern action," he said.

Mahathir was sprayed with mace when he was about to address the more than 1,000 people who had come to greet him. Former Kelantan Umno strongman Ibrahim Ali was also hit by the spray.

Ibrahim Ali later termed the incident as an 'act of sabotage' while sources claimed that it could be linked to the rivalry between two groups of Mahathir supporters.

Meanwhile, the police have already identified the person responsible for the incident.

The former premier's visit to the east coast state is his first in a series of planned public lectures to explain his scathing criticisms against Abdullah's administration.

Previously, Mahathir claimed that the Umno leadership is barring him from meeting party members but this has been denied.