Police were granted a 14-day remand over al-Kontar following his arrest earlier today. ― Facebook screencap

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 ― The Syrian refugee who called the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) home for the past seven months has been remanded for the next two weeks, police confirmed today.

KLIA district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Adamshah told Malay Mail police were granted a 14-day remand over the suspect following his arrest earlier today.

“Investigations into the Syrian are being conducted under Section 6(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing a valid pass that lawfully allows him entry into Malaysia,” explained Zulkifli.

If convicted of the offence, the suspect is staring down at a possible maximum fine of RM10,000, and, or, a prison sentence not exceeding five-years, and shall also be liable to whipping of not more than six strokes.

This comes following a report by state news agency Bernama who reported the arrest of 36-year-old Hassan al-Kontar.

The arrest was then confirmed by Immigrations Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, who explained the suspect was apprehended after being caught in a restricted area of the airport without a boarding pass.

Mustafar vowed to settle the issue swiftly, labelling the incident as one that has brought humiliation to the country, through statements made by the Syrian on his social media accounts.

It was no secret that throughout his time at KLIA2, the suspect had frequently videoblogged his daily life on Twitter and Facebook, catching the attention of both human rights groups and international media.