Commenting on the attack on sports journalist Haresh Deol earlier today, Fahmi said he was informed of the matter while attending a programme in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

“Haresh told me that he had just lodged a police report, and is now arranging for a medical report.

“I hope investigations can be carried out as soon as possible,” he said in a Facebook post.

Haresh, co-founder of the Twentytwo13 news website, was reportedly assaulted this afternoon by two men in Bangsar.

Earlier this evening, Brickfields police chief Hoo Chang Hook confirmed that police had received a report from Haresh at 4pm today.

“It involved three suspects. The victim suffered injuries to his face, hands and body.

“The suspects have not been identified, and efforts to find them are ongoing,” he said in a statement, adding the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.

Haresh has spent 25 years reporting on governance and accountability, co-founding Twentytwo13 with Pearl Lee.

His recent work includes investigative reporting on Malaysian sport, particularly governance issues and the national football team’s naturalisation scandal.