Maldivian ‘militant’ arrested from Turkey/Syria border

A Maldivian man has been arrested attempting to cross the Turkey border into Syria to participate in the Syrian civil war.

Police tweeted on Tuesday night that the Maldivian has now been brought back to the country.

Police reported that the case was now under investigation, and that the authority was working on expanding collaboration with relevant international agencies and increasing capability of Maldives Police Service in dealing with terrorism.

The authority has not released any details regarding the identity of the man.

Participating in a civil war in a foreign country without authorization of the government is a criminal offense under Anti-Terrorism Act.

A number of Maldivians who traveled to Syria have been reported dead, while some arrested attempting to travel to or have travelled to foreign countries to join civil wars have been put on trial and await long prison sentences.