#SHOWBIZ: Yassin's detention ordeal: Slept standing up in lockup, returns with only clothes on back

New Straits Times

27-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Popular Malaysian comedian Yassin Yahya, a member of the beloved group Senario, has finally spoken out about his six-month detention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Returning to Malaysia last week after his release from the Foreign Nationals Administration and Deportation Centre, Yassin clarified that his arrest was not drug-related but stemmed from his unwitting possession of prohibited items.
In a special podcast episode of 'Darkcast' titled "Special Episode - Yassin Yahya, guilty or ???" with Saiful Apek, broadcast on YouTube's Gitu Gitu Studio, Yassin recounted the harrowing experience.
He explained that his journey to perform Umrah, his first, was a spontaneous decision after an offer to sponsor 25 artistes.
"I was excited and thought this was the time," he shared, describing the dilemma he faced with existing work commitments.
A conversation with his mother, who had just prayed for one of her children to perform Umrah, solidified his decision.
However, a tight schedule meant he had little time for proper preparation.
"I only prepared by studying on YouTube for a short time," he admitted.
The unfortunate incident unfolded upon his arrival in Jeddah on Oct 27 last year.
Prior to his eight-hour flight, Yassin, seeking a way to smoke during his journey, purchased cigarette papers, a grinder, and a pack of cigarettes at the airport.
It was the grinder, bearing a symbol deemed prohibited in Saudi Arabia, that triggered his detention.
"Arriving in Jeddah, my bag was scanned during the flight to Madinah. The customs officer saw something and ordered me to open my bag," he recalled.
The officer, holding the grinder, immediately identified it as a suspicious item. Despite Yassin's explanation that they were for cigarettes and his offer to undergo a urine test, he was taken to a room, where he and his belongings were thoroughly searched.
He recounted his frustration at the communication barrier and his instruction to his mutawif to proceed without him.
Subsequently, Yassin was taken to the police station for questioning, but to his dismay, he was not released. "After the interrogation, they closed the searched bags and I thought they wanted to send me back to the group of pilgrims," he said.
Instead, he was handcuffed and taken to a police station in a jeep.
"I wonder what I did wrong. If I think about it, the symbol issue wouldn't be a crime. If I had done wrong, I would have been arrested in Malaysia. I really don't know about the laws there."
Cut off from contact, Yassin found himself in a police lockup in Jeddah, where he spent ten days in dire conditions.
"The conditions in the lockup were quite sad. The first time I slept standing up because the floor was full," he revealed, describing how he eventually found a spot to sleep in front of a toilet door.
On Nov 5, Yassin was transferred to the Foreign Nationals Administration and Deportation Centre in Jeddah. He was finally able to contact the Malaysian consulate in Jeddah, who eventually facilitated a brief, albeit interrupted, call with his wife.
An online court hearing on Nov 19 saw him sentenced to six months.
"I admit my mistake. I told my wife, it was my mistake to bring something with a prohibited symbol, maybe I overlooked it.
"This is a lesson, I want to say that if you go to someone's country, be careful. Don't bring items with prohibited symbols," he said.
Upon his release last week, Yassin made the decision to return to Malaysia with only the clothes on his back, leaving all his belongings behind in Jeddah.
"I left all my belongings in Jeddah as beautiful memories," he stated, explaining that recovering them would have extended his stay by another month, which he couldn't bear.
He secured an emergency certificate as he had no other documents.
Despite the ordeal, Yassin expressed no regrets, describing his six-month detention as a "study period" that offered invaluable life experience.
"Alhamdulillah, this is not 'death and rebirth', but it is the next opportunity, and I have completed my studies at the university in Jeddah," he reflected.
His overwhelming desire to reunite with his mother, wife, and children drove his swift return.
He extended his gratitude to both the Jeddah and Malaysian consulates for their crucial assistance throughout his ordeal.