On March 2, 2013, Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia reported that police are on alert after intelligence information that an attack will be carried out on the Lahad Datu police station.

Three days later, the same information was posted by pro-PKR blogger Yusuf al-Siddique on his blog ‘Milosuam’.

More than two years later on Jan 19, 2015, Yusuf was convicted of causing fear under Section 505 of the Penal Code and sentenced to two years’ jail, pending an appeal.

And yet, he decries, no action has been taken on Utusan.

"It was the same story on a police station to be attacked and how police need to be on alert, in fact Utusan’s report was more detailed.

"If I was charged for causing fear, why is a pro-government media outlet not hauled up for the same?

"When I wrote about it, police lodged a report on the matter and arrested me," he told Malaysiakini in an interview.

Scathing from what he believes is selective prosecution, he said his trial was a ruse to scare him and other pro-Pakatan Rakyat bloggers.

Initially, he said, he was told by police he was arrested over a blog posting on police early voting and indelible ink, yet he was charged for causing fear.

"When I was arrested, I was investigated under the Official Secrets Act…So I believe they had nothing, and they were looking for something to stick.

"This is really a manipulation of the law to scare Pakatan bloggers,” he said of the case which was heard in Kota Kinabalu because the police report against him was lodged by police personnel there.

To fight back against the fear campaign, Yusuf continues to write about the trial in the popular blog.

"I hope people will read this articles so they will know whether it is reasonable or not to send me to jail. At least let the rakyat judge this for themselves," he said.