Former journalist Sidek Kamiso revealed the police tried to provoke him by asking about his religious beliefs and political leanings after arresting him on Monday.

This was one of the challenges he had to endure when the police came to arrest him, he said.

"They asked me whether I changed my mazhab (Islamic school of thought)... whether I voted for this party, and this and that.

"They asked all kinds of questions to rile me up," Sidek told Malaysiakini yesterday.