Singapore has arrested a British author as part of a criminal defamation investigation related to his book on the city-state's death penalty policy, police said Monday.
Alan Shadrake, 75, was in Singapore to promote the book and was arrested Sunday, police said in a statement.
He hosted an event Saturday promoting "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock."
Police said they arrested Shadrake based on a complaint by the government's Media Development Authority and were investigating him for other offenses. They declined to give details.
The attorney-general's office is also seeking contempt of court charges against Shadrake because statements in the book allegedly impugn the impartiality, integrity and independence of the judiciary, a spokeswoman said. She spoke anonymously in line with the attorney-general's office policy.