Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed charges against 18 suspects in relation to the violent disruption of the World Yoga Day event held at the National Stadium on June 21.
As such, suspects Fazloon Mohamed and Adam Nishan were charged with advocating for an action to commit a terrorist act. If found guilty, they face a prison sentence of 10-15 years. Suspects Mohamed Dhilian, Abdulla Rifau, Abu Bakr Fariu, Ahmed Aksam, Ahmed Nasooh, Hassan Shifaz, and Shabeem Adam were charged with attempting to commit a terrorist act. If found guilty, they face 20-25 years in prison. Suspects Mohamed Ismail, Abdulla Niyaz, Ali Mohamed, Ibrahim Zihan, Mohamed Shan, Hussain Ali, and Ahmed Ali were charged with participating in a terrorist act. If found guilty, they face 17-20 years in prison.
Additionally, Suspect Abdulla Rifau was charged with owning documents that indicate the support of a terrorist organisation and will face 1-3 years in prison if found guilty. Shabeem Adam was charged with assault with a weapon and face 7-10 years. Abdulla Rifau, Ahmed Aksam, and Hassan Shifaz were charged with attempting to commit an assault with a weapon and face 3-5 years. Mohamed Ismail and Mohamed Dhilian were charged with obstruction of justice and face over a year in prison. A total of 15 suspects were charged with obstructing the work of a law enforcement officer.
The International Yoga Day event was held on June 21 at the National Stadium. The violent disruption occurred after several individuals gathered nearby to protest the event and later broke through the police barricades and entered the stadium.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the incident is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law. The Serious and Organised Crime Department of the Crime Investigation Command of the MPS is investigating the incident. MPS stated that the perpetrators had sought to incite fear by forcefully entering, destroying property, and attempting to assault participants of the event. The police service also stated that the protest flags were obtained from the office of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). Photos on social media also showed the flags being taken out of the office the night before.