Media barred from assassination conspiracy hearing

Media has been barred from attending the hearing scheduled for this Thursday in the case involving alleged assassination attempt made on Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

The case involves former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, Is’haaq Hussain and Fazeel Hameed who have been charged in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Yameen, along with Sri Lankan national Lahiru Madhushanka – who is allegedly a sniper contracted for the hit.

Previous hearings in the trial were open to media and public.

Court is scheduled to continue hearing testimony from State witnesses during this Thursday’s hearing.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan middleman who sent Lahiru to Maldives, identified only as “Yasas” spoke to Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Times earlier this week and claimed that Lahiru wasn’t actually a sniper, and that it had been a story concocted between them to land him a “security job” offered by a group of Maldivians.