Abdulla Luthufee, the key figure behind the 1988 coup attack on the Maldives, has been released from prison upon completing his sentence.
Assisted by armed foreign mercenaries, Luthufee led an attack on the Maldives on 3rd November 1988 that killed 19 Maldivians. Charged and convicted for treason, Luthufee received the death penalty for his crimes. However, then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom lightened his sentence to life imprisonment. Under the laws of the country, the life sentence is 25 years.
Luthufee was allowed to travel to neighboring Sri Lanka on 16th January 2010 for medical purposes during former president Mohamed Nasheed's administration. However, he went into hiding during the trip and resided in Sri Lanka for nine years as a fugitive before seeking refuge in the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday attack on April 20, 2019. Authorities subsequently repatriated him to the Maldives.
Luthufee's sentence was completed today, and he has thus been released from prison.
Luthufee's partner in the coup d'état attempt, Sagaru Adam Nasir, also received a 25-year prison sentence for the crime. It has been years since he completed his sentence and was released.
