Maldives Police Service (MPS) has refuted rumours regarding Ahmed Fathih, who was a suspect in the terrorist attack on May 6, 2021, which severely injured Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
In a press statement, MPS denied claims that Fathih was under its employment during the terrorist attack, as he had worked at the police service from November 2018 to February 2021. MPS stated that it previously informed media outlets that Fathih was not employed at the police service during the incident or his arrest.
Furthermore, MPS stated that Fathih was one of the suspects submitted for prosecution, but he was released after the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) decided not to raise charges, based on the lack of evidence. Concluding the statement, MPS urged individuals and media outlets to obtain information from reliable sources.
Speaker Nasheed was severely injured after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a motorcycle was triggered while he was getting in his car on the night of May 6 last year. The attack left Nasheed with serious injuries, requiring multiple life-saving surgeries at ADK Hospital and additional medical treatment in Germany and the UK.
The 23-year-old Fathih was one of nine suspects arrested in the May 6 terrorist attack. Fathih, who had previously worked at MPS, was arrested in Dharavandhoo, Baa Atoll, on July 19, 2021, during a special operation.
The prime suspect of the attack, Ahmed Adhuham Rasheed, was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he was found guilty of detonating the IED by remote in an attempt to assassinate Speaker Nasheed. The trials of the remaining suspects are still ongoing.