Terrorists haven

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that Maldives has become dominated by Islamic extremists, and that religious radicals have not yet attacked Maldives perhaps because they are using local banks.

Nasheed made this statement in an interview with UK’s The Independent.

"I don't know why they haven't blown up anything in the Maldives. Right now [maybe] they are thinking that strategically it isn't good for them to do anything in the Maldives. Maybe they are using our national accounts. Maybe they are using our banks. Maybe it is a good place for recruitment.”

The Independent reported that Nasheed had asked UK Foreign Secretary Mr William Hague to support calls to establish a Commonwealth oversight of the Maldives, to show that the international community was aware of what was going on.

Nasheed told The Independent that recent religious functions in the Maldives have shown disturbing pictures of where the country is headed.

He also claimed that Maldivian citizens had been involved in al-Qa'ida attacks in Pakistan and India, and that he had had regular meetings with Western intelligence agencies when he was in power.

He asked that the Maldives be kept on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group’s (CMAG) agenda until fresh elections can be held.

"We want to be on someone's agenda until the elections are through. That's what we're trying to do now.”