Probe into failure to report information reg. May 6 terrorist attack ongoing, says police
Parliament's 241 committee believes both Mariya and Ilyas should have reported to police
(L to R) Hulhudhoo constituency MP Ilyas Labeeb, Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed and Defence Minister Mariya Didi
Maldives Police Service (MPS) has said that investigations into anyone who failed to report information regarding the murder attempt on Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed, is ongoing.
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 Hulhudhoo constituency MP Ilyas Labeeb has since revealed to have received credible information regarding a possible attack on the former president, he said this was shared with Defence Minister Mariya Didi. However, neither had shared the information with the police.
This was corroborated in the report by the parliament's committee on national security services or the 241 committee, who conducted an inquiry into the security breach that led to the attack.
The report states that Labeeb had informed Nasheed himself about the information he received in regards to the possible attack. It further noted that MP Labeeb had passed on the information to the defence minister as per Nasheed’s instructions on the night of 3rd May. Mariya had not shared the information received with any other authorities as, according to her, she did not consider their conversation official as it was through a phone call.
However, the Hulhudhoo MP told the committee that Minister Mariya had told him that the information will be shared with police.
The committee report stated that both the defence minister and lawmaker should have shared the information with the institution.
Moreover, the 241 committee report highlights that when Speaker Nasheed’s threat level had been heightened and was shared with those in-charge of his security, the fact that no action was taken and no facts were shared within the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), is unacceptable as they believe that someone in that position should have been responsible enough.
Anyone who receives information concerning terrorism is obliged to report it to those in-charge, as per the Anti-Terrorism Act. The law further states that failure to report information resulting in a death would mean that the responsible party would have to serve five to seven years in jail, as well as three to five years for severe injuries and six months for financial losses of between MVR 100,000 to 500,000.
