The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday that police arrested him for alleged sodomy because of a personal vendetta among the top brass, and insisted they have no case against him.

"I don't deserve this. No Malaysian deserves this. Why treat me as a major criminal and a public enemy?" Anwar told reporters after being freed on $47,000 bail. "Mind you they have no case against me."

Anwar was arrested Wednesday for questioning over allegations that he sodomized a 23-year-old male aide - the second time in a decade that such an accusation has threatened his political career. He was released Thursday after more than eight hours of interrogation.

Just before his arrest, Anwar made a complaint claiming that the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan had fabricated evidence against him in his 1998 sodomy conviction.