Maaz Saleem denies taking hostages

Council Member of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Ahmed Saleem (Maaz Saleem) has denied the media reports suggesting that he took some people hostage.

Saleem said that his child returned to Maldives last night from a trip abroad, and upon arrival in Male’ they realised that they had forgotten an iPad in the MTCC ferry.

He said that when they went to get the bag, they came to know that the iPad had been stolen from the bag by the boat captain, and immediately reported the incident to the police.

By working with the police, they found out that the captain had hidden the iPad among some pieces of wood in Hulhule’.

Saleem said that they travelled on the boat as per the advice of the police to the location of the iPad and retrieved it. During this time, some people on the boat started protesting against him and tried to assault him, said Saleem.

Saleem said that he was accompanied by two police officers until all this was over, and the rumours suggesting that he took some people hostage are politically motivated.

He said that he was taken to Criminal Court after being arrested, and was then released by the court.