Egyptian security forces arrested Sheikh Abdullah Badr on Wednesday, upholding a December 2012 court verdict against him for insulting an Egyptian actress on television.

Acid-tongued Badr was sentenced on 17 December to a year in jail, with bail set at LE20,000, for insulting Egyptian actress Elham Shahin on his programme on conservative television channel El-Hafez.

Shahin filed a lawsuit in September 2012 against Badr after he said on television that she was "cursed" and "will never enter heaven."

The popular actress claimed Badr attacked her publicly after she made a statement expressing her fear of the Islamic political current, saying that she would not vote for Islamist political parties in the elections.

Badr, who was arrested in Egypt's Nile Delta governorate of Sharqiya, will be sent to prosecutors in Cairo to determine how the court order will be executed.

In January, Egypt's Administrative Court ordered that Badr's television show 'Fi Al-Mizan' be taken off air for 30 days.