We received information of assassination attempts on Nasheed using weapons and a toxic chemical: Hameed

An audio clip of former Head of Police Intelligence Mohamed Hameed (MC Hameed) has been made public in which he says that they had received information on two occasions that attempts were made to assassinate former President Mohamed Nasheed using a toxic chemical and during a military demonstration.

The audio was made public during the “MDP’s successful year 2013” rally held last night. The audio is from when Hameed was summoned to the Parliament Committee on Oversight of the Government in relation to their investigation and review of the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report. Hameed had said that the attempts were made in 2010 and 2011.

Elaborating on the incident, Hameed said that 10 people from the military had shared information with Police Intelligence that an attempt was planned on the former president’s life during a military firepower demonstration held in Raalhugandu area in 2010.

“One instance as I recall is during a firepower demonstration held by the military in 2010. It was planned to be done [to assassinate former President Nasheed] during their weapons or firepower demonstrations. From different military ranks, including different commissions, from lieutenants and so on, soldiers of such ranks, about 10 soldiers as I recall, shared the information with us,” Hameed told the committee.

He said that the second attempt was a plot planned in 2011 to assassinate Nasheed using a toxic chemical stored in a warehouse under the care of a parliament member.

“…that there were such chemicals stored in a warehouse that was under the care of an MP. Its purpose was to attack former president Nasheed. Some stories like that surfaced,” said Hameed.

When asked by Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir, Hameed said that the toxic chemical was stored in a warehouse in the care of Eydhafushi MP Ahmed Saleem (Red Wave Saleem).

Hameed said that he cannot attest to the accuracy of the information regarding the toxic chemicals, but said that he had discussed the issue with former President Nasheed’s MNDF SPG body guards.

Hameed said that he had shared information to CoNI in relation to an SMS’s exchanged between former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his brother Abdulla Yameen on 7th February 2012, the day of the change in government.

In a message sent to Yameen, former President Maumoon had asked if the messages were intercepted. Hameed said that Yameen had replied saying “yes sir.”

Hameed said that the message showed that they wanted to talk confidentially.

“The message said ‘are all sms intercepted?’ Yameen Abdul Gayoom replied ‘yes sir. All sms are intercepted.’ Because the number was registered in Dhiraagu, we wanted to see to who, a person such as Yameen, would address as ‘sir’. From this, we derived that they wanted to carry out concealed communications. They were political leaders. The number was registered under Lost Paradise Maldives. When we intercepted the call, the person speaking from the other end of the line was former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.”