Dunya: No concrete evidence to say boat blast was an act of terrorism

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon has said that there is no concrete evidence to say that the explosion on the presidential speedboat last month was a coup d’état or an act of terrorism.

In an email interview, Dunya was asked by The Hindu if the government saw any foreign involvement in the blast, to which she replied, “…It would be wrong to speculate as to who was responsible or who conspired in this criminal act. There is no concrete evidence to say this was a coup d’état or an act of terrorism. It would be simple speculation or guesswork to try and do so at this stage. The investigation will determine whether this was an act of terrorism, a conspiracy with wider political goals or some other criminal act.”

When asked if there was a growing sense of instability around the regime, the Foreign Minister said that the events of September 28 have galvanised support around the President and unified his team.

“It is worth remembering that the President’s wife got injured in the blast. He has acted with leadership and courage both during and after the events of September 28. His actions demonstrate that he maintains the support of his party and the Maldivian people in bringing the perpetrators to justice and getting on with the job that he was elected to do.”

Asked to respond to Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s arrest, Dunya said, “Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor was arrested in connection with the investigation following the explosion on the Presidential Speedboat on September 28. He was taken into custody because the relevant authorities are determined that an impartial investigation could not be carried out unless the Vice-President was detained. The Vice-President was arrested based on not just intelligence reports, but on credible information obtained following a detailed investigation. The decision to arrest the Vice-President was not taken lightly and is extremely regrettable. It would be wrong to speculate as to who was responsible or who conspired in this criminal act, but the arrest of the Vice-President is an important part of the process behind ascertaining further information as to who was responsible.”