#Maldives Steps Up Hunt for Suspects after Bomb Attack on Nasheed https://t.co/RR5R3MScae
— Asharq Al-Awsat English (@aawsat_eng) May 8, 2021
There was no claim of responsibility for Thursday's bomb attack, but officials close to Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said they suspected vested political interests opposed to his anti-corruption drive.
Nasheed has vowed to investigate a $90-million theft from the state's tourism promotion authority during the tenure of former president Abdulla Yameen.
| Al Ahram adds: |
Hospital officials said Saturday that Nasheed is conscious and no longer needs breathing support. Two of his bodyguards and two apparent bystanders, including a British citizen, were also maimed in Thursday's blast.
Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem told news hounds that Sherlocks still do not know which bully boy group was behind the attack, which left Nasheed, 53, at death's door in an intensive care unit after life-saving surgeries to his head, chest, abdomen and limbs. No group has grabbed credit.
Nasheed, the current Parliament speaker, has been an outspoken critic of religious extremism in the predominantly Sunni Moslem nation, where preaching and practicing other faiths are banned by law. He has also been criticized by religious hard-liners for his closeness to the west and liberal policies.
Police announced Saturday that two men were arrested in connection with the attack, and released photos of two others seeking public assistance in identifying them.
Authorities say a homemade bomb contained ball bearings was attached to a cycle of violence
parked near Nasheed's car. The device exploded, possibly with the use of a remote control, as he was about to leave home for an event.The Maldives has one of the highest per capita numbers of turbans who fought in Syria and Iraq alongside the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
group.
Authorities announced in January that eight people arrested in November were found to have been planning to attack a school and were in the process of building bombs in a boat at sea. Police said the suspects conducted military training on uninhabited islands and recruited children.
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