KUALA LUMPUR: Red Shirts leader Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos, who had twice “slipped away” on Friday, was detained by the police early Saturday, hours before the Bersih 5 rally was scheduled to take place.

According to one of his aides, the Sungai Besar Umno division chief was detained at about 1.30am.

It is learnt that he was brought to the Selangor Police headquarters in Shah Alam.

Red Shirts legal adviser Datuk Mohd Imran Tamrin said Jamal was arrested in connection with the fracas between him and the police at Ampang Point on Nov 13.

He said Jamal would be taken to the Magistrate's court in Ampang at 10am for the police to apply for a remand order.

Jamal had called for a press conference twice on Friday, but failed to turn up both times.

The first was supposed to have taken place after he had scheduled a 2pm “pep talk” for his supporters at a Red Shirts gathering at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Sources close to Jamal told the waiting media that he was “unreachable” for the time being and his whereabouts were unknown. He had also left 100 of his supporters waiting.

The second press conference was scheduled for 10pm, also at Masjid Negara.

Jamal’s no-show came as police went on a sweep, arresting 12 people linked to the rallies taking place Saturday.

Most were activists or members of opposition parties and Bersih 2.0, the non-governmental organisation behind Bersih 5, the fifth such street demonstration since 2007 calling for free and fair elections.

The Red Shirts have vowed to disrupt the Bersih rally, with Jamal even threatening to spill “blood for blood,” and promising rewards for any of his supporters who are arrested.

Among the first to be hauled up by police were Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah and Bersih secretariat officer Mandeep Singh.

Also arrested were the DAP’s Seremban MP Anthony Loke, former Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu, and members Jimmy Wong and Lee Khai Ming.

Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) leader S. Arutchelvan, and activists Luqman Nul Hakim Zul Razali, Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof and Muhammad Safwan Anang were next.

Late into Friday, Red Shirts activists Razali Zakaria and Ariffin Abu Bakar were also taken in.