Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar taken away by police

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-16 16:19

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was taken away by police to the city police headquarters here on Wednesday, local media reported.

Malaysia's de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks to the media as he leaves the anti-corruption agency office in Putrajaya July 16, 2008. [Agencies]

Anwar was due to give statement on the sodomy report lodged against him by his former aide by 2:00 pm on Wednesday, Malaysian national news services Bernama said.

Bernama said that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (The People's Justice Party) adviser Anwar Ibrahim was picked up by the police from his residence in Segambut Dalam and taken to the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarters.

Local newspaper The Star's website reported that Anwar was arrested in front of his house here and he arrived at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters at 1:15 pm on Wednesday.

His lawyer Sankara Nair said the police told Anwar that he was being arrested for investigations on alleged "carnal intercourse against the order of nature," but he was not handcuffed.

Last month, Anwar's 23-year-old former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had lodged a police report alleging that Anwar had sodomized him.

Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said Anwar had called her from the police car to say he had been arrested, the newspaper said.

Anwar reportedly was at Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) headquarters earlier Wednesday, in Putrajaya, administrative center of the Malaysian Federal Government.

The Star said that the ACA had not completed its interview and Anwar had to cut it short to make his 2:00 pm appointment with the police to answer questions over the sodomy allegation made against him.

Anwar joked that if he was arrested, the ACA could do their follow-up interview at the lock-up, according to the newspaper.