The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim has been arrested for sodomy, his lawyer said on Wednesday, setting the stage for a political showdown that could further rattle the country's financial markets.

The former deputy premier had agreed to meet police on Wednesday on a sodomy complaint lodged by a former aide, and police had warned they would arrest him if he did not show up for questioning. Anwar's lawyers had said he would go to the police for questioning at 0600 GMT, but the arrest came about an hour before that. "They say he was arrested under Section 377 of the Penal Code (sodomy)," Sankara Nair, Anwar's lawyer, said. "He was arrested as a suspect in the case." "There was a lot of fear and intimidation. It's absolutely unnecessary."