No links between May 6 attack and intel received by defence minister: police

Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohamed Riyaz stated that the intel reports received by Minister of Defense and National Security, Mariya Ahmed Didi about a possible attack on Speaker and Former President Mohamed Nasheed had nothing to do with the terrorist attack carried out on May 6.

ACP Riyaz made the statement in the press conference held on Saturday night in regards to the investigation in relation to the attempt made on the former president's life.

The ACP confirmed that the information Minister Mariya received had been included in the investigation. However, no direct relation has been found between the intel received and the terrorist attack on May 6.

Furthermore, ACP Riyaz stated that the investigation is still open and that the police are required to directly question former President Nasheed in order to validate discoveries made in regards to the matter at hand. However, President Nasheed has not made any comments yet.

While Hulhudhoo constituency MP Ilyas Labeeb had shared information about a possible attack on the speaker with the defence minister, investigations held after the May 6 attack shows that Mariya chose to disregard this information as she believed words exchanged over a phone call to be unofficial.

At Saturday's press conference, Police Commissioner Mohamed Hameed assured that they are still looking into why the information received by the defense minister was not shared with relevant authorities.

However, the commissioner stated that their current priority is to further investigate those that were actively involved and arrested and those who remain suspects.

While Mariya was informed of a financial reward of MVR three million being offered for killing the former president, she chose not to share this with relevant authorities. The minister claimed that this was because President Nasheed’s security had been tightened in a meeting she had with the Chief and Vice Chief of Defense Police the following day.

Also on Saturday, police said that they found no evidence of financial motive behind the attack, saying the suspects seem to have acted on their own due to the personal hatred for the speaker.