Police have arrested a man suspected of making death threats against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said today.

Fuzi said the arrest made in Ampang at 4.40am last Saturday, following complaints by Persatuan Kebajikan Islam dan Dakwah Islamiah (Pekida) Selangor on May 31 on an article that had gone viral on social media platforms.

The article was about a man who wants to wage war against Mahathir and shoot him, he said, leading to the arrest of a 38-year old suspect who is also a Pekida member.

"Nevertheless, the suspect claims that his Facebook account had been intruded by irresponsible parties.

"The case is being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code (criminal intimidation) and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (improper use of network facilities, services, etc)," Fuzi added in a statement.

He said investigations are ongoing and the suspect has been remanded until June 6.