Suspect of May 6 terrorist attack requests closed-door trial
Adhuham's hearing was closed off to the public at some point along Tuesday's hearing
Is'haq was charged in connection to the assassination attempt on Speaker Nasheed's life
Suspect arrested over the assassination attempt on the life of current Speaker of Parliament and Former President Mohamed Nasheed, Is’haq has requested a closed-door trial at the Criminal Court.
Is’haq made the request during Tuesday’s hearing held at the Criminal Court. Alongside Is’haq, Fahmy Ali and Mohamed Nazim’s trial also proceeded.
Charges against all three are involvement in a terrorist attack and planning one. Is’haq faces an additional charge of being involved in moving explosives
Is’haq’s legal representative requested for his client’s trial to be held behind closed doors, just as Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed’s was held on Tuesday.
The presiding judges closed Adhuham’s hearing to the public at some point, citing discussions regarding national security.
Is’haq’s legal representative revealed that his client has the right to face a just trial and that his client could face sour repercussions if the trial is opened to the public.
Highlighting that his client’s remand is set to expire on September 24, Is’haq’s lawyer requested to delay making a decision on his remand.
Further, the lawyer noted that efforts are currently underway to appeal the High Court’s ruling regarding Is’haq’s remand, at Supreme Court. He noted that they require time to go through the documents relevant to the case.
Following this, the presiding judges had granted the defendant this period, however, they remained undecided regarding closing the trial to the public.
Presiding over Is’haq’s trial are Adam Mohamed, Mohamed Misbah and Safwath Habeeb.
The presiding judges granted a period of 15 days for Fahmy Ali and Mohamed Nazim to appoint legal representation.
The remand period of Is’haq and Fahmy was extended by 14 more days earlier in September.
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 assisting in the probe, as well as American experts.
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.
