The police had received information that certain quarters were planning to cause chaos at the Better Beer Festival 2017 slated to be held next month in Kuala Lumpur.

According to inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun, this is the reason the police were opposed to the event.

"There was information that militants were planning to commit sabotage at the festival, as they believe it was against their struggle,” he said in a statement today.

"There was also intelligence which showed there were parties out there who were planning to create havoc during the festival, which would create a situation concerning security.

"To prevent the situation from spiralling out of control, PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) acted proactively by putting a stop to the event, in the interest of public safety and security," he added.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had refused to give the green light for the event to be held at the Publika Mall on Oct 6 an 7, citing political sensitivities.

However, MCA president Liow Tiong Lai yesterday said security reasons were behind the canning of the event.

Earlier today, the organiser of the festival, Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd, said that the event had taken place for the past five years without incident.

According to the company, previous installations saw strict ID and security checks conducted at all entry points into the venue.

Mybeer is also hoping to meet with DBKL in a bid to obtain permission to hold the event.

The event to promote smaller breweries has been taking place in Kuala Lumpur since 2011 without much fanfare.

However, it landed in the spotlight after PAS central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor complained about it, and said it would lead to reprisals from extremists.