Terrorist attack on Maldives ex-president: what we know

Approximately at 8:36pm on Thursday, an explosion shook the country’s capital Malé City, triggering nationwide frenzy and drawing global attention, after the Former President and current Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, was left with life-threatening injuries.

Nasheed was stepping into his car when the explosion went off, leaving him and four others injured and others in the region stunned. Minutes in police officers attended the scene and rushed the injured former president to ADK Hospital for treatment.

Initially he was treated for flesh wounds, however, an assessment conducted by a specialty team of professionals indicated the need for several surgeries.

ADK Hospital has since revealed that a final, critical, life-saving procedure was successfully concluded on Friday afternoon. Over the course of past 16 hours he had four life-saving surgeries conducted on injuries to his head, chest, abdomen and limbs. The former president currently remains in critical condition in intensive care.

The explosion has sparked outrage over negligence and the public has been accusing authorities of failure within the policing system.

Maldives Police Service held a press conference on Friday afternoon, where Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed confirmed that all evidence indicates that this was a deliberate act of terror targeting Nasheed, and that the act of terror targeting the former president is being investigated as an “urgent” priority.

Authorities are currently pursuing four suspects in connection to the terrorist attack, however, the police institution is yet to identify the perpetrators as further investigations are underway. Police also revealed that details of the motorcycle used in the attack have been obtained in the probe. However, they stressed protocol does not allow them release such critical details as it could jeopardize investigation.

Noting that the investigation team is working closely with the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) in the investigation, CP Hameed added that the country’s security services including the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the MPS are currently taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of citizens and are enhancing protective measures in the Malé region.

During the press briefing the police commissioner highlighted that authorities did not receive any intelligence information related to the attack beforehand and that they would conduct an inquiry into intelligence failings within the police network.

Another important point noted by the police commissioner was that the attack has not yet been linked to any foreign organizations or terror groups and there has been no indication of military involvement in the attack.

The case being investigation as an “urgent” priority by about 450 officers, has been classified as an act of terror under present laws. The authorities revealed that although military-grade explosives were not used in the attack, life-threatening explosives that had the potential of causing serious harm to those around, were used in the attack.

It has been revealed that authorities will not be announcing a state of emergency yet, however, security measures have been strengthened in order to prevent any further attacks in relation to the explosion.

Authorities are yet to identify a motive behind the terrorist attack or anyone who has publicly and officially claimed responsibility for it and CP Hameed assured that they will look into intelligence failings as to why such conspiracies were not detected within the police network.

Maldives is also working to acquire technical support from international bodies and relevant authorities in investigating the terrorist attack.

Concluding the presser, CP Hameed assured that the relevant authorities will conduct thorough investigations and answer to the public accordingly.

Authorities are also seeking individuals who may have information on any suspicious activity around the time and area of the incident, they have been urged to report the information to the designated hotline through 9704000. The police institution has assured that the anonymity of individuals who provide such information will be maintained.