The Prosecutor General’s Office has extended the period of the investigations linked to the terrorist attack on the lift of Former President and current Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.

During a presser on Tuesday afternoon, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem revealed that this was done after the Maldives Police Service requested for the investigation period to be extended, as it is yet to conclude probes into five of the suspects arrested in connection to the IED blast.

Currently under investigation are Mohamed Thasleem, Is’haq, Fahmy Ali, Mohamed Nazim and Abdulla Ali Manik.

As such, the probe period was extended until August 20.

Following this, if the police institution concludes the investigation within the given deadline, authorities will be required to send charges against the five within 15 days.

PG Shameem expressed hopes that the trial will be open to the public.

The police institution in July revealed that 10 suspects had been arrested in total.

Shortly after the attack on May 6, authorities had announced plans to bring in foreign investigators to assist in the investigation. As such, a team from the Australian Federal Police is in the capital city to assist in the probe, as well as American experts.

Mujaz and Thahumeen were arrested two days after the bomb attack while Adhuham was apprehended on May 9. On May 19, Maldives Police Service arrested a fourth suspect identified as 23-year-old Fathih. Haisham was the fifth suspect arrested. He was seized from Manadhoo island in Noonu atoll on June 11.

Nasheed was targeted in an assassination attempt on May 6, as he was heading out to attend an event in an island. The attack, which saw a remote-controlled IED explode near his residence in the center of congested Malé City, caused serious injuries to the ex-president who was rushed to the hospital within seven minutes after being knocked to the ground by the blast, which was dubbed far more powerful than the explosion in Sultan Park, 2007.