Foreigner arrested for taking photos of police raid, handed over to immigration

The foreigner arrested for taking pictures of a police raid on Wednesday, has been handed over to the Maldives immigration.

The 33-year-old Irani-born German national, Hamon Nasiri Honarvar, is accused of "practicing journalism" while in Maldives on a tourist visa. He was arrested on Wednesday night, after he was seen taking photos of a police raid at the headquarters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

While it was initially reported that he was a Dutch national, RaajjeMV can confirm that he is from Germany.

RaajjeMV understands that Honarvar is a photography student, and is not associated with any news agencies. He is holidaying in the Maldives, and was arrested from where he was staying, Off Day Inn, in the capital Male' City.

A credible source informed RaajjeMV that, prior to his arrest; police searched Honarvar and had not found any pictures of the raid. However, cooperating with the police, he had handed over his camera's memory card to them.

While RaajjeMV can confirm his arrest, he was taken into police custody with his belongings.

Back in July 2016, Italian photojournalist, Elwira Szczecian and husband were arrested over the same reason.

While Maldivian authorities also accused her of "practicing journalism while on a tourist visa," Elwira denied that she visited the country in her capacity as a journalist. Maldives Immigration issued them a 10-year ban from the country.

In addition, a German TV crew was deported in December 2015.