Rex Tan, who is being probed for sedition, was released after having his statement recorded, Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director M Kumar said.

He also said Tan was released on police bail.

“We also seized his phone to facilitate investigations,” Kumar was quoted by Harian Metro as saying, adding that three police reports had been lodged against Tan.

Tan, 31, who resigned from FMT yesterday morning, was arrested just past midnight after turning up at the Dang Wangi police headquarters.

Tan courted controversy when he posed a question, which is said to have carried racial overtones, at a lecture on Gaza which featured British politician George Galloway.

Following widespread criticism on social media, Tan issued a public apology, admitting that his question was “poorly constructed”, failed to “take into account its relevance to the event”, and lacked sufficient consideration of its sensitive nature.

He acknowledged that he fell short of the professional journalistic standards expected of him and appealed to the public against attacking FMT Media or his family.

Tan also said he had never used the term “apartheid” nor suggested the parallel between the current state of Chinese Malaysians and Palestinians.

Malaysian Media Council deputy chairman Premesh Chandran acknowledged that Tan had made a mistake but said his arrest was excessive.