Defense Minister: Terror attack recently foiled one of the most dangerous planned to date

Defense Ministry Mariya Ahmed Didi has described the mass casualty terror attack using explosives recently foiled by Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defense Force in a joint counter-terrorism operation as one of the most dangerous attacks planned to date.

Speaking at the ceremony held to mark the 29th anniversary of MNDF’s Southern Area Command – Minister Mariya stressed that the government was undertaking a number of efforts to counter the spread of extremism.

Despite these efforts, the Minister said that there are groups propagating extremism and conspiring fatal terror attacks nonstop, by allocating all their time for the purpose.

Therewith, Minister Mariya emphasized on the importance of basing actions on information attained through surveilling such conspiracies, and carrying out the necessary research.

“I believe MNDF’s area commands need to significantly increase capacity in this trajectory,” she added.

In this regard, she described the mass casualty terror attack using explosives recently foiled in a joint counter-terrorism operation as one of the most dangerous attacks planned to date.

Police have stated that three substances presumed to be explosive chemicals which was seized from the home of one of the arrestees from the operation when tested by MNDF’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) had shown to have highly explosive substances. They emphasized that EOD reported that small quantities of the chemical can fatally injure a human, and cause great damage to goods.

A total of 14 people were arrested during this operation; 10 from Addu City, two from Male’ City and two from Guraidhoo. Police identified all the suspects as Maldivian men.

Criminal Court remanded five of them in custody pending the outcome of trial.  They include a 20-year-old, 27-year-old, 30-year-old, 35-year-old, and 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, five others – an 18-year-old, two 33-year-olds, a 35-year-old, and a 46-year-old – were remanded in custody for 14 days. Four of them - a 19-year-old, two 27-year-olds, and a 28-year-old – were remanded in custody for 30 days.