Criminal Court has extended the remand period of Is’haq and Fahmy Ali, arrested for their involvement in the terrorist attack aimed at Speaker and President Mohamed Nasheed on May 6th, by 14 additional days.
The two suspects were brought for their remand hearing at the Criminal Court on Tuesday, as stated in the Criminal Procedure Act of the Maldives that a remand review is to be held every 30 days, for individuals detained pending sentencing.
According to the Maldives Police Service (MPS), Is’haq, Ali Haisham, 27 and native to Manadhoo island in Noonu atoll and Mohamed Thasleem native to Hoarafushi island in Haa Alif atoll, are suspected to have led the execution of the attack.
Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed, the person who detonated the remote-controlled IED attached to a motorcycle in the heart of capital Malé City on May 6 as Nasheed was heading out to attend an event on an island, signed a plea deal with authorities in early August for a reduced 23-year jail sentence.
The Prosecutor General’s Office came to an agreement with Adhuham after negotiating for three days. According to the plea deal, Adhuham admitted to have been involved in the planning of a terrorist attack and being a part of the crimes performed by a community called the ‘Islamic State’.
The next to be prosecuted in relation to the terror attack is Mujaz Ahmed. He is being charged for a total of two crimes. If found guilty he would be facing 17-20 years for planning a terrorist attack and 9 months and 18 days for hiding after committing a crime.
If Thahmeen Ahmed is proven to be guilty of the four charges against him, he would have to serve a total of 49 years in prison. This includes 17 years for the first charge, 17 for the second charge, three years for the third charge and 12 years for the fourth charge.
Haisham is being charged for planning a terrorist attack, being a part of a terrorist attack and being involved in moving explosives and is to serve 46 years if charges against him are found to be true. This includes 17 years for being part of the attack, 17 for aiding the attack and 12 years for moving the explosive.
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.
The police institution in July revealed that 10 suspects had been arrested in total.
MPS had detailed that the perpetrators had made three attempts to carry out the attack. The first attempt was planned to be carried out near the Yaagoothuge region. The second attempt was to be orchestrated near the Marry Brown region, where Nasheed would be out for his exercise sessions. The motorcycle used in the attack was purchased during 2019.
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.
