Saifuddin said legal processes are already under way, and public overreactions would not benefit anyone.

“I want to remind the public not to go overboard, especially by issuing threats on social media. We must move on. Making threats does not help anyone and only worsens the situation,” Berita Harian quoted him as saying in Kuala Lumpur today.

Tan, 31, who resigned as a reporter with FMT on Friday, was arrested under the Sedition Act just past midnight that day after three reports were lodged over a question he posed to British politician George Galloway at a public forum on Palestine.

He was released on police bail yesterday afternoon after having his statement recorded. Tan’s mobile phone has also been seized to assist in investigations.

Tan’s question and Galloway’s response led to a backlash online, with accusations that the question contained racial overtones.