KUALA LUMPUR: A 31-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill comedian Harith Iskander and his family.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the man was detained following a report lodged by Harith’s ex-wife Dr Jezamine Lim, who is also his manager, at the Dang Wangi police station at 7.31pm on Thursday.
The suspect reportedly contacted Harith at 11.21am on Jan 21, threatening to kill him after the comedian made a joke related to the ham and cheese sandwich issue.
Two days later, Lim received a threatening phone message accompanied by a photo of their children at 3pm, added Razarudin.
“The suspect has been remanded until Tuesday to assist in the investigation.
“We have also seized his mobile phone,” he said when contacted last night.
Police are investigating the case under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 509 for using words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person.
Meanwhile, Lim said the death threats had led to the cancellation of Harith’s stand-up comedy show, which was scheduled for yesterday at the Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS, to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved.
She said the decision to cancel the show was not made lightly.
“Harith has poured months of preparation and hard work into this show, to see it cancelled has been heartbreaking for him,” Lim said on Instagram yesterday.
On the death threat, she said it shook her to the core when a vile threat of abuse was made against her children.
“Let me be crystal clear – threatening the safety of innocent children crosses every imaginable line. It is despicable, cowardly and inhumane,” Lim added.
Harith had earlier posted on Facebook that his faith was “shaken” after seeing the word “ham” in the name of a coffee drink called “ham sap kopi”, supposedly in a joking manner.
