There were no disagreements with the police during Nasheed

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has disputed the claim by the Police saying that there were no disagreements between the Police and Nasheed’s Special Protection Group (SPG) bodyguards, during the operation carried out yesterday by the police to implement the court order to arrest Nasheed in order to produce him in Hulhumale’ Court this evening.

While the Police said yesterday that verbal exchanges took place between the Police and Nasheed’s SPG bodyguard’s during the operation, MNDF spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef told Sun Online today that there were no disagreements during the incident.

“The video shows people from the public who followed the police, and the soldiers, everybody together. Military security personnel on the scene will be dressed in plain clothes. So there might have been a blow while the Police rushed in between. But there were no disagreements or verbal exchanges, nothing like that took place,” Colonel Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef said today.

He said that he has held discussion with the SPG following reports of such clashes, but said that the SPG has assured him that such an incident did not happen.

While MNDF has disputed the claim that clashes took place, Superintendent of Police Abdulla Nawaz said at a press conference last night that ‘verbal exchanges took place between the two groups’, and that the bodyguards wanted to know ‘why, and how’ the operation was being conducted. He said that everything was clear once they were shown the court order, and that no further questions were asked after that.

Nawaz said that bodyguards should not ask questions once the court issues an order to arrest Nasheed. He said that “everything was clear once they were shown the court order. He [Nasheed] walked there voluntarily. They [bodyguards] did not ask any questions after that. I don’t believe there should be any doubts. If a court issues an order, we have to obey,” Nawaz said.

The video of the incident shows while Nasheed walks down the road, one of his bodyguards persistently directing questions at the police officers, who had then surrounded Nasheed. His words are not clearly audible from the video.