Maldives Police Service (MPS) has released photos of three individuals who had actively participated in the murder of blogger and social media activist Yameen Rasheedh. 

All three have previous criminal records.

A statement released by the Police published photos of three out of the seven arrested in connection to the murder. The three are Ismail Rasheed (25, of M. Thaaif, Male'), Ismail Haisham Rasheed (21, H. Annaarumaage, Male') and Ahmed Zihan Ismail (22, M. Irasmik, Male'). '

Police say that Ismail Rasheed has a criminal record of gang violence, while Ismail Haisham Rasheed had served a prison sentence having been proven guilty of mugging.

Police remarked that they had analyzed over 1,850 hours of CCTV footage and over 40,000 photographs of individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 as part of the investigation. Police CCTV camera footage and footage collected from various parts in Male' City were collected for this investigation. 

Additionally, Police say they had sought the advice of experts and obtained databases of various government agencies as part of the investigation.

Police added that they have identified who had planned the attack and that the investigation was ongoing.

Police said that the agency had faced immense difficulties in investigating the murder. As such, Police noted that persons who had no connections to the investigation had offered their speculation to the public, collusion by lawyers and other parties had contributed to the challenges in the investigation.

Police further added that all suspects connected to the murder have been identified with enough evidence for prosecution. The statement said the case will be forwarded to Prosecutor General’s Office.