For the first time in history, United States' Department of the Treasuries Office of Foreign Affairs Control (OFAC) included the name of a Maldivian on their terrorist list - Mohamed Ameen. OFAC assures that they have imposed sanctions against all named in the list.
Publicized on the 11th of September, the list detailed Ameen's involvement in 15 terrorist groups, further revealing the various means through which he facilitated the groups.
According to OFAC, Ameen is known to have provided financial and technological support for the terrorist group IS in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Additionally, OFAC revealed that Ameen was actively engaged in leading IS recruitment in Maldives, hosting approximately 10 recruitment sessions per week under the guise of Islamic classes. They also claim that Ameen continues to recruit on behalf of IS, targeting criminal gangs based in the country.
According to a report compiled by the Presidential Commission Investigating Murders and Enforced Disappearances, Ameen is mentioned as the leader of the Maldives branch of IS.
Ameen is also one of the perpetrators of the Sultan Park bombings of 2007. Local authorities attempted to arrest him, but he successfully fled to Sri Lanka before an arrest could be made. An Interpol notice was also issued in order to locate the fugitive.
He was later arrested and brought back to the country in 2012.
