PENANG police have arrested a man who, earlier this month, assaulted a woman for not wearing a headscarf.

Central Seberang Prai district police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said the man, who was picked up yesterday, had been taken to Bukit Mertajam Hospital for a check-up today.

“We found him in Jalan Taman Perwira in Bukit Tengah last night, about 10.30pm.

“He admitted that he had shoved the woman’s head. He was angry at her for not wearing a headscarf.

“He also got upset because the woman had scolded him, saying he was crazy.”

Nik Ros Azhan said the 30-year-old suspect, from Ipoh, had no criminal record.

The man was caught on video assaulting an Indonesian factory worker from Bukit Mertajam at a bus stop in Bukit Tengah earlier this month.

The video went viral and was even picked up by overseas media, including Britain’s Daily Mail.

It was initially thought that the victim had been slapped by the man for not wearing a headscarf.

The January 6 incident sparked an outcry, but no action was taken as the victim did not lodge a police report.

DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary Syerleena Abdul Rashid had, on Friday, lodged a report at the Jalan Patani police station to push for an investigation into the incident.

Yesterday, the victim finally lodged a report in Bukit Mertajam, leading police to make the arrest.

Police said yesterday the suspect’s uncle confirmed that the man had been of unsound mind since a road accident 15 years ago. – January 22, 2018.