Spending a night in the police lock-up has failed to extinguish red shirts leader Jamal Md Yunos' zeal to battle Bersih and its proposed rally on Nov 19.

After his release this evening, the Sungai Besar Umno division chief issued a declaration of war against the electoral reform group outside the Dang Wangi police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Jamal vowed to mobilise manpower from across the nation for the "assault".

"With my release from remand, I am declaring 'peperangan secara habis-habisan' (all out war) against Bersih 5.

"My arrest does not weaken my resolve and I will henceforth mobilise the 'red machine' all over the country for war with Bersih 5.

"They (Bersih) are the most evil thing in our country," he told reporters.

Jamal also urged the authorities not to practice double standards by taking action against the red-shirts but not against Bersih, warning that it may antagonise his supporters.

“I ask that the government and police to act fairly and don’t practice double standards, action is taken against red-shirts, but the yellow-shirts are exalted, this is why we will fight them till the end,” he said to cheers from his supporters.

Jamal also revealed that he would organise a rally at Dataran Merdeka on Nov 5, as a prelude to a bigger gathering to coincide with Bersih 5.

Bersih is planned for Nov 19, which Jamal and his red-shirts have sworn to gather and meet head on.

Both sides had clashed several times during the ongoing Bersih convoy to drum up support for their upcoming rallies in several locations across the country.

The red-shirts leader was released from police custody at 4.45pm prior to the expiry of the 48-hour remand order against him.

Jamal, who was arrested at the KL International Airport (KLIA) yesterday morning, was greeted by some 50 supporters clad in red t-shirts.

As he emerged, the supporters chanted "Hidup Jamal" and "Hidup Merah".

The Umno man is being investigated for defamation and criminal intimidation under the Penal Code, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act as well as Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act.

Earlier, his legal adviser Mohd Imran Tamrin did not discount the possibility of Jamal being questioned on other matters related to the fracas involving red-shirts and Bersih supporters.

Contacted for comment, Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said: “I will leave the investigation on Jamal to the police and not respond to him any more.”