Court extends remand of five suspects arrested in Nasheed assassination attempt

Criminal Court has extended the remand of five suspects arrested in connection to the assassination attempt on Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed back in May.

While two suspects –Mujad Ahmed, 21 and Thahumeen Ahmed, 32– were arrested two days later on May 8, a third suspect Ahmed Adhuham Rasheed, 25, was arrested on May 9. A fourth suspect, Ahmed Fathih, 23, was arrested on May 19.

All four were remanded by 15 days.

Police on Wednesday said that the Criminal Court had extended the remands of Mujaz, Thahumeen and Adhuham by 15 days on June 22 while an additional 15 days was added to Fathih’s remand on June 20.

Further, police said that the remand of a fifth suspect, 27-year-old Ahmed Haisham from Manadhoo island in Noonu atoll arrested on June 11, was extended by 15 days as well on June 27.

While police have disclosed the identities of five suspects with links to the May 6 terror attack, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday revealed that investigators have identified a total of eight suspects.

He added that the probes into four of the suspects have nearly completed and that the cases will be forwarded for prosecution “soon”.

Further noting that he has been receiving timely updates of the investigation, the president stressed that he will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Former President Nasheed was the target of a remote controlled bomb in Maldives congested capital Male’ City on May 6. He had just left his house and was about to get into his car when a bomb attached to a motorbike exploded.

While he was rushed to ADK Hospital immediately, Nasheed underwent 16 hours of surgery to remove shrapnel from his lungs, abdomen and liver. He traveled to Germany for further treatment on May 13 following approval from his doctors here.