SHAH ALAM: Harakah Daily staff did not trespass into the official residence of the Selangor Mentri Besar as they were invited for a meeting, says its chief operating officer Nadzir Helmi.

In a statement on their website, the daily said that the trio had been invited for a discussion over the land acquisition in Taman Sungai Sireh for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).

"The meeting to discuss the matter with the public was conducted at the official residence of the MB on Jan 5 after public pressure. Among those that have been vocal on the matter is Suffi Kamari, who is a Harakah staff member.

"What happened that day was that Suffi Kamari and two other Harakah staff members had attended the meeting after being invited by Kampung Sungai Sireh residents under the capacity of the NGO Gerakan Pertubuhan Ummah," said Nadzir.

He added that the trio had attended the meeting until its completion but was then arrested for supposedly trespassing.

Nadzir then added that the issue has besmirched the news outlet's image and reputation.

"A report was lodged on Monday (Jan 8) by the three staff members as legal steps to protect the truth of what really happened," he said.

When contacted, Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim confirmed that a report had been lodged.

"A report was received and it was more towards a denial. We will complete our investigation papers and forward it to the deputy public prosecutor for further action this afternoon," he said.

On Jan 5, three men, including a journalist, were arrested after allegedly trespassing into the Mentri Besar's official residence here.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s press secretary Jay Jay Dennis confirmed the incident.

"They were arrested for trespassing and posing a security risk. They were taken to the police station in Section 6, Shah Alam.

"It looks like they were acting under orders. Fortunately, police reacted promptly to prevent any untoward incident," he said previously.