The defendants in the murder trial of Mohamed Anas, have been given 10 days to appoint their lawyers.

The state had raised charged against six individuals including a minor. The 17-year-old had been charged with first degree murder and his case is being heard in the Juvenile Court.

First degree murder charges had been raised against Ahmed Zayan and Usmaan Shareef. Junaih Abdullah, Hassan Mahfooz and Simah Moosa have been charged as accessories to murder.

The preliminary hearings of the case began on Monday, where only Mahfooz attended the hearing with his lawyer. The rest four had requested time to appoint their defence, whereupon which the Court had granted them 10 days to appoint their lawyers.

Under the Penal Code, 10 days is the maximum period given to appoint a lawyer.

Mahfooz’s lawyer said that he had received the case documents on Monday and therefore a response to the charges will be given in the next hearing.

25-year-old Anas was stabbed to death by a group of masked assailants on the 31st of July. Anas who worked on a speedboat was killed not too long after he arrived in Malé that night.

CCTV footage from Litus Service Center, where the attack took place, show the attackers pursuing him before stabbing him to death.