Lieutenant Colonel Muizzu appointed Commander of Special Protection Group

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has made changes within Special Protection Group (SPG), including appointing Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Muizzu as Commanding Officer, and Major Moosa Rameez as Deputy Commanding Officer.

MNDF’s chief spokesperson Major Ibrahim Azim told Sun on Saturday that additional changes include the appointment of Abdulla Jameel as First Sergeant.

Muizzu was dismissed from MNDF back in 2013, but was recently reinstated with promotion after the court found his dismissal to have been unfair.

The SPG is responsible for providing security to high-ranking state officials and visiting dignitaries.

According to President's spokesperson Mabrook Azeez, the changes were made after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih impressed upon Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi the need for changes within SPG in order to enhance security to high-ranking state officials in the wake of the recent terror attack to assassinate Parliament Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed.

A homemade remote-controlled IED was strapped to motorcycle parked nearby Nasheed’s residence, and was detonated at 08:27 pm on May 6, just as Nasheed, 54, exited his residence and went to get in his car. Nasheed was thrown to the ground and sustained multiple shrapnel injuries, while three members of his security detail and two bystanders sustained minor injuries.

While police investigate the terror attack, the Parliament has opened an inquiry into Nasheed’s security breach in relation to the attack.