Attempted murder charges filed against 7 in attack on ex-PG Shameem

(Clockwise from top L) Aban Abdul Hannan, 23; Zayan Naseer, 23; Shamaal Hussain, 21; Rajwan Latheef, 22; Midhuhath Adam, 24; Mohamed Jazlan, 22; and Ahmed Maisan Hashim, 20.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO)) has filed attempted murder charges against seven people arrested in connection to a brutal attack earlier this year on Hussain Shameem, the then-prosecutor general, which left him injured.

Shameem had been out jogging on a street in Male’ City on the morning of January 31, when he was attacked with a weapon by two people on a motorbike, outside the Masjid Al-Noor in the Henveiru district of the capital. The PGO alleges that the men attempted to hit Shameem’s head, but the blow landed on his arm.

He fractured his left arm in the attack.

Then-Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem injures his arm in a violent assault on January 31, 2024. (Photo/Facebook/Hussain Shameem)

The police made seven arrests in the case, all of whom are jailed pending the outcome of their trial.

They are:

Midhuhath Adam, 24
Mohamed Jazlan, 22
Ahmed Maisan Hashim, 20
Aban Abdul Hannan, 23
Zayan Naseer, 23
Shamaal Hussain, 21
Rajwan Latheef, 22

In a statement on Sunday, the PGO said it filed charges against the suspects with the Criminal Court on Thursday.

All seven were charged with attempted murder using a dangerous weapon.

According to the PGO, all seven had conspired to murder Shameem. Midhuhath carried out the attack, while Jazlan transported him to and from the scene of the crime on the back of a motorbike, and Maisan supplied the motorbike used in the commission of the crime.

Then-Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem speaks at a press conference on August 3, 2021. (Sun Photo/Fayaz Moosa)

Meanwhile, the other four suspects – Rajwan, Shamal, Aban and Zayan – had allegedly waiting in a car and watched as the attack was carried out and then left the scene with the others.

The attack in January had come shortly after the security the police had been providing to Shameem due to a court case ended.

The attack sparked widespread condemnation from both government officials and politicians from the opposition, as well as international groups including the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP).

The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) had strengthened Shameem’s security in the wake of the attack.

Shameem served as the country’s prosecutor general from December 8, 2019 to August 22, 2024 – when he was dismissed by the Parliament in a no-confidence vote.