Malaysia Pavilion coordinator Mohd Khair Ngadiron said the matter was communicated to him by officers of the culture and information ministry of Saudi Arabia.
“The man was arrested yesterday (Friday) and is under investigation before further action is taken,” he told reporters here today.
Khair said the officers did not give details of the arrest but said the RIBF organiser would send a letter of apology to the Malaysian Embassy here.
“They support the participation of Malaysia in RIBF and want the zapin and ghazal performance to go on,” said the chief executive officer of the Institute of Translation and Books Malaysia (ITBM).
A man snatched the microphone and a musical instrument before throwing them to the floor when 12 students of Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor were performing the zapin and ghazal.
His actions drew protests from the audience who were enjoying the cultural show at the Malaysian Pavilion.
Malaysia was invited as the guest of honour at RIBF 2017 from March 8-17.
The zapin and ghazal show was to enliven the Malaysia Pavilion at the request of Saudi Arabia, which sees art as a branch of science that supports the growth of human civilisation.