Saudi detained by Malaysian police over Twitter posts

Malaysian authorities said they would extradite Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi Arabian writer, who had fled his home country after calls for his execution.

Kashgari, 23, fled Saudi Arabia after receiving calls for him to be executed after posting Twitter messages considered to be insults to the Prophet Muhammad.

Kashgari, who is a columnist for the Jeddah-based Al Bilad newspaper, was detained by Malaysian police when he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday.

The Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs, Hishammuddin Hussein, issued a statement and said the Malaysian police had contacted Saudi Arabian police to determine the next course of action.

Kashgari’s safety became a concern for rights groups after religious Saudi Arabian conservatives called for his arrest and execution for directly addressing the Prophet Muhammad in a series of Twitter posts.

Requests were sent by Amnesty International call for Malaysia not to deport Kashgari, grant him access to a lawyer while also disclosing his location.

Before fleeing his home country, Kashgari issued an apology and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the death threats made against him.

The Saudi Arabian King was reportedly prompted to call for the writer’s arrest after tweets incited outrage in the conservative Islamic country since many regarded the posts as blasphemous which is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.