Fourteen people arrested on charges of attempting a terrorist attack have been remanded in custody.
On November 14, the police disclosed that a terrorist attack had been foiled and that those who attempted the attack has been arrested. The suspects were arrested in an operation conducted by the police in Male' City, Addu City, and K. Guraidhoo.
While ten men were from Addu, four were arrested from Male' and Guraidhoo. Out of these, a 20-year-old, 27-year-old, 30-year-old, 35-year-old, and 37-year-old have been remanded in custody pending trial. An 18-year-old man, two 33-year-olds, a 35-year-old man, and a 46-year-old man have been remanded in custody for 15 days. A 19-year-old, two 27-year-olds, and a 28-year-old have been remanded in custody for 30 days.
At a press conference, Head Inspector Uswath Ahmed of the police’s Terrorism and Violent Extremism Unit, said the arrested were IS supporters and nine of those arrested were previously arrested on charges of terrorism offenses. Uswath said the suspects planned to carry out a terrorist attack which would have resulted in the death of many people.
The Inspector further said explosives were recovered from the premises searched and that they are being analyzed. The details of the attempted terrorist attack cannot be revealed as the investigation is ongoing, he said.
Although Uswath said a large number of policemen were involved in the operation, he did not disclose the number of officers.
