Maldives Police Service (MPS) has confirmed the arrest of Mohamed Thasleem, the main suspect of the May 6 terrorist attack.
At a press conference, Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed said Thasleem had convinced the other suspects to kill Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed for being irreligious and instructed them to work as a cell. Thasleem had previously been arrested on April 24, 2017, for planning to plant a bomb at Ethic International Private Limited but was released on October 4, 2018, while his case was in court.
Commissioner Hameed said his release had been appealed at the time and that state prosecutors have re-submitted the appeal after he was arrested over the May 6 attack. Hameed also said the plot to assassinate Speaker Nasheed began in 2019 and that the police investigation has found there have been three plots to kill the speaker.
Additionally, MPS has filed a case against four suspects arrested in the attack for prosecution. The suspects include Ahmed Adhuham Rasheed, Mujaaz Ahmed, Thahumeen Ahmed, and Ahmed Fathih.
MPS stated Adhuham had triggered the improvised explosive device (IED) and had been willing to kill himself in the process, while Thahumeen was the owner of the motorcycle to which the device was attached. Fathih helped Adhuham flee the scene of the attack and escorted him to Mujaaz, who helped Adhuham hide in Male' City.
Including Thasleem, MPS has revealed the names of six new suspects arrested over the attack. They include Ali Haisham, Ishaaq, Fahumy Ali, Mohamed Nazim, and Abdulla Ali Manik.
MPS said Haisham was involved in attaching the device to the motorcycle, while Ishaaq was involved in planning the attack and preparing Adhuham, who had triggered the IED. Fahumy and Nazim assisted in various phases of the plot while Manik was involved in spreading extremism in the country as well as helping in hiding Adhuham and destroying evidence.
Also at the press conference, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohamed Riyaz said the information received by Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi concerning a plot to assassinate Speaker Nasheed has no connection to the May 6 attack. Riyaz said MPS is continuing to investigate the accuracy of the information received by the defence minister. He also said the suspects in the May 6 attack did not have prior knowledge of Nasheed's movement, and they gathered the information on their own.