Taiwanese influencer’s death: Malaysian rapper Namewee surrenders to police

Malaysian rapper Namewee was detained by Kuala Lumpur police on Wednesday in connection with the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, in a stunning twist to a tale that has gripped the country.

Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, took to his social media on Tuesday night to confirm his voluntary surrender to city authorities after returning from his southern home state of Johor, vowing to fully cooperate with the police investigation.

“I will not run away. I voluntarily reported to the authorities for the previous seven arrest warrants. I have never run away,” he said in a social media post, sharing a video outside a police station.

Wee’s lawyer Joshua Tay told This Week in Asia that his client had presented himself at the police station. “He made a report and was later arrested,” Tay said.

When asked if his client may face murder charges, Tay batted away the question. “Let the investigation take its course,” he said. “And I hope that the investigation will be carried out thoroughly and with the utmost objectivity and fairness to all parties concerned.”

Hsieh’s body was found in a Kuala Lumpur hotel room on October 22, two days after arriving in Malaysia reportedly to discuss a film project with Namewee. In the room, police discovered nine blue pills suspected to be Ecstasy.