Maldives Police Service (MPS) has stated the individuals who were arrested from Thimarafushi, Thaa Atoll last November had been planning an attack on an examination centre in the island.
MPS had arrested eight people in relation a planned attack in Thimarafushi in November 2020. MPS said all eight people arrested in relation to the incident had links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
In a statement released following the conclusion of the investigation, MPS revealed the group had been planning an attack on Thaa Atoll Education Centre while the O’Level examinations were in progress. MPS said it had received reports that the group had been gathering items to prepare an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a fishing vessel called Nasaah-3. MPS said it had also received an intelligence report that one of the arrested individuals had expressed an interest to take part in terrorist activities with IS and had been conducting an internet search on ways to attack.
Furthermore, the police investigation found out that IS had appointed an individual from Thimarafushi called Abdulla Shareef as a provincial Emir to lead the planning of a terrorist attack. MPS said teams had been formed and dispatched to different regions to carry out the attack.
The police statement further revealed the terrorist organisation had been trying to recruit young and vulnerable people to carry out their plans in the Maldives. The police said such individuals are first approached on the pretense of encouraging stronger religious faith. They said several children in Thimarafushi between the age of 14 and 18 had been approached this way.
MPS has forwarded the charges against the arrested individuals to the Prosecutor General’s Office on January 25. MPS said there are some additional suspects who are still under investigation.