Police speedboat arson: testimonies taken from two witnesses

A hearing in charges raised against Moosa Inas, native to Kalhaidhoo island of Laamu atoll in connection with the case regarding the arson attack on a police speedboat, has been held.

Currently ongoing in the trial is the stage where testimonies are collected.

The judge presiding over the trial is Judge Sofhath Habeeb.

The officer who compiled the scene-of-crime report and also scanned the suspect’s residence, was presented to the Criminal Court as a witness.

The officer revealed that several mobile phones were confiscated from the suspect’s residence in the raid, along with many religious books that did not have publisher details.

Police earlier discovered material such as videos and documents supporting and promoting extremism in hard disks confiscated during the investigation stage, from the residence of the one of the suspects. The material found on the hard disks supported the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, revealed the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Inas’s residence was raided in his presence.

Presented as a witness next was an officer who was among the officers who arrested Inas, from a plot of land issued for agricultural use in the island.

The officer, who was also active in the raid on the suspect’s house, revealed that Inas had his mobile phone at the time of his arrest.

Terrorism charges were initially raised on Inas and Abdul Latheef Ibrahim native of Gan Island in the same atoll.

Inas was found guilty of involvement in the Sultan Park bombing back in 2007, for which he has served out a sentence as well.

With this being said, state prosecutors had earlier stated that there is adequate evidence to prove the charges currently raised against him, adding that he has been remanded for public safety as he was behind the arson attack on police vessels which caused losses to the state and created fear among the public .

Charges were raised on the two Maldivian men under the Anti-Terrorism Act and they stand to face a jail term between 20 – 25 years if they are found guilty.

PGO revealed that Abdul Latheef had confessed to obstructing law enforcement by destroying evidence and that he was sentenced to one year and 12 days in prison by the Gan Magistrate Court, on 6 July 2020.

The arson attack took place on 22 March 2020 and the Islamic State had taken responsibility for the fire that burned five boats docked at Mahibadhoo harbor, to crisp. This came after police revealed that the fire is “believed to be a terrorist attack”, citing similarities with other such attacks on a sea ambulance as well as police and council speedboats.

A report published earlier by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) indicated that the Islamic State is working in the Maldives “with a network of supporters”.