In a Facebook post at 7pm, he said the police freed him on police bail after questioning him since he was arrested at 10.20am following 284 police reports lodged against him.

“No matter how many reports are lodged against me and I am investigated and arrested, I will always defend my right and freedom to speak,” he said. “The people do not have to fear the government and royalty, the government and royalty should fear the people,” he said.

Police reports were lodged against him by more than 20 state assemblymen, and Johor executive councillors Aznan Tamin and Khairin-Nisa Ismail, as well as civil society groups, youth associations and community leaders.

Federal police headquarters at Bukit Aman confirmed this evening that Fahmi is being investigated under the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act over his Facebook post on Dec 15.

The statement said police had also seized a phone believed to be used to make the post.

In his post Fahmi had raised a question of accountability over the actions of TMJ (as Tunku Ismail is known). Later that evening, he said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission had asked X to take down his posting but the request was turned down by the social media platform.

Fahmi was also investigated earlier this month over a caricature of the prime minister used in his series of online lectures on the functions of parliamentary democracy.