Counter-terrorism operation: court slaps remand on three arrested
19 ޑިސެމްބަރު 2019 | ބުރާސްފަތި 12:52MPS and MNDF began the joint operation on Wednesday
a joint counter-terrorism operation was launched in Maduvvari island on Wednesday morning
The three individuals arrested during the counter-terrorism operation in Maduvvari island of Raa atoll, have been remanded by 10 days.
Although the Maldives Police Service (MPS) did not reveal which court slapped them with the remand, they are to be remanded at a facility decided by the Home Ministry.
MPS launched the joint operation with the Maldives National Defense Force on Wednesday and it aims to seek out those supporting and spreading extremist ideologies among the people in Maduvvari island.
Arrested were a 30-year-old, a 34-year-old and a 29-year-old.
RaajjeMV understands that the operation will continue in seven other islands.
Since the operation was launched, another case of a second pregnant child bride also surfaced.
While the island is deemed to have a large community supporting extremism, recruiting individuals to terrorist organizations as well as obstructing the rights of children and women, MPS and MNDF began the joint operation on Wednesday.
During the operation, officers will seek out the community on the island that has separated itself from the society by supporting extremist ideologies, expressing interest in joining foreign conflicts and recruiting people to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or more commonly known as ISIS, neglecting their children educational and medical rights such as vaccination as well as keeping their women locked up and imprisoned at home.
This comes at a time the issue of 13-year-old child bride who gave birth in the island, surfaced with the child’s parents having been arrested recently for negligence.
Reports of the 13-year-old child bride being raped and impregnated by a man, Ismail Hammadh surfaced during November and met with public outrage.
He was attacked by crew members on board a sea-cucumber fishing boat over an ideological disagreement on 22 November.
DNA reports have proven that the child is his. The rapist has since been remanded by 15 days.
Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Mohamed Hameed revealed that there are over 1,400 individuals with extremist ideologies who are "willing to kill" at the slightest provocation. It was also revealed that the Islamic State planned a bomb attack targeting Maldives in 2017, which authorities were able to neutralize.
