Two held in connection with terror attack on former Maldives president Nasheed
May 08, 2021
Male [Maldives], May 8 : The Maldives Police on Saturday arrested two individuals in connection with the blast in which former president Mohamed Nasheed suffered injuries.
"Two individuals have been arrested in connection to #May06TerrorAttack. More information will be shared in a press briefing this afternoon," Maldives Police tweeted
On Friday, the Maldives Police said the blast that injured former president Mohamed Nasheed was a "deliberate act of terror".
In a statement, the police said that all necessary resources available and forensic teams are being utilised to aid the investigation of the blast that took place in Neelaofary Hingum.
On Thursday night, an explosion took place near Nasheed's residence as he was getting in his car. Four more people were injured in this attack, according to the Police.
Nasheed was rushed to a hospital where he had undergone multiple successful surgeries so far and is required one more essential procedure, The Edition reported.
"All evidence indicates that this was a deliberate act of terror, targeting the Speaker of Majlis, and former President, Mohamed Nasheed.
The country's security services, including the Maldives National Defence Force, and the Maldives Police Service, are currently taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of citizens, and are enhancing protective measures in the Male' region," the country's police said in a statement.
"All necessary resources available for investigation and forensic teams are being utilized to aid in this purpose," the statement added.
The police revealed that two experts from the Australian Federal Police will arrive in the Maldives on Saturday morning to assist the investigation.
Additionally, two United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) technical experts from the UK, based in the Maldives, are currently assisting the investigation.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed has revealed that four people were identified and flagged for "suspicious behaviour" from the crime scene of the explosion, Maldives' The Edition reported.
