Police take Aziz Bari’s statement over bullet, death threat

Constitutional law expert Prof Aziz Bari today gave his statement to the police over a death threat and bullet mailed to him yesterday following a recent controversy involving his remarks over the Sultan of Selangor.

The controversial International Islamic University (UIA) professor told The Malaysian Insider he received an envelope containing a bullet and a note saying “Jangan kurang ajar dengan Sultan, maut nanti (don’t be rude with the Sultan, you may die later)” at his Bandar Baru Selayang home around 11.45am yesterday.

“I made a police report in Taiping yesterday and today I come to find out more... the police have taken a bullet for investigation,” the don was quoted by Bernama Online today.

Gombak OCPD ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah later confirmed receiving Aziz’s statement, before revealing that the bullet recovered to be a 9mm round.

Abdul Rahim added that the case was being investigated as criminal intimidation.

Aziz had previously been suspended by UIA after he said the Selangor Ruler’s intervention in the raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in August was “unusual and inconsistent.”

Aziz’s statement caused a furore among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs in Parliament, who urged that action be taken against the don.

He has chosen not to apologise for his remarks even after a police report was lodged against him, insisting he had not meant to challenge the Sultan and was only fulfilling his role as an academic.

Hundreds of UIA students gathered at the university’s Gombak campus last week to demand the lecturer’s reinstatement.

Aziz’s colleagues and lecturers from other universities as well as Opposition leaders have also backed the academic.