DR Mahathir Mohamad is being investigated under the Anti-Fake News Act 2018, over his statements alleging that his aircraft had been sabotaged, said police today.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mazlan Lazim said a report has been lodged against the Pakatan Harapan chairman. However, he refused to name the complainant.

“This investigation is related to Dr Mahathir’s statements, where he alleged that his aircraft had been sabotaged. We have received a report, and we are investigating.”

Dr Mahathir, on Friday, had said the plane he was supposed to travel to Langkawi on had been sabotaged.

He had said that just before take-off, the pilot announced that the plane was damaged, and repairs could not be carried out immediately.

Dr Mahathir had said it was an attempt to stop him from filing his nomination papers in Langkawi the following morning, adding that he could have died should the plane crash.

Following the incident, Putrajaya ordered an immediate investigation. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), in a statement, said it found no sign of sabotage.

CAAM chairman Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the aircraft was unable to fly due to an air leakage from the left-hand nose wheel, which is a minor and routine technical fault.

Earlier this week, a Danish national became the first to be punished under the newly enacted Anti-Fake News Act, over a YouTube video he had posted on the shooting of a suspected Hamas member in Kuala Lumpur.

Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman, 46, pleaded guilty to maliciously publishing fake news in the form of a YouTube video, in which he claimed that he was with the Palestinian victim during the shooting and had made countless calls to police, who arrived at the scene 50 minutes later while an ambulance came an hour later.

Salah Salem was sentenced to a week’s jail and fined RM10,000. – May 2, 2018.