Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, currently serving as the Speaker of Parliament, was injured in an assassination attempt targeting him on Thursday when a bomb exploded from a motorcycle as he was about to enter his car in the capital, Male. An official stated that the first democratically elected president of the archipelago located in the Indian Ocean was injured in the blast caused by an explosive device placed on a motorcycle while he was getting into a vehicle late Thursday night.
A government official told AFP over the phone that Nasheed (53 years old) "survived the assassination attempt," adding that "he was injured but his condition is stable." The official also noted that the explosion resulted in injuries to one of Nasheed's bodyguards, who was subsequently taken to the hospital. The explosion occurred just before the start of a nighttime curfew in the capital aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media images showed a destroyed motorcycle at the scene of the attack.
Security forces cordoned off the area around the explosion site, while Parliament called for an emergency meeting. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a close ally of Nasheed, stated that an investigation is underway, and officials in the country condemned the attack targeting the nation's second most important figure.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid tweeted, "We strongly condemn the attack," asserting that "such cowardly acts have no place in our society." He expressed in his tweet, "My thoughts and prayers are with President Nasheed and others injured in this attack and with their families." One of Nasheed's family members, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, stated that the former president suffered multiple injuries from the explosion. It was clarified that the former president did not lose consciousness and was communicating with doctors when he was taken to the hospital.
The Maldives, with a population of 330,000 Sunni Muslims, is located in the Indian Ocean and is known for its luxury holiday resorts, but it has suffered from recurring political turmoil. The government has worked to suppress extremism and organize outreach activities, but violent attacks are rare. However, dozens of foreign tourists were injured in a bomb explosion in Male in 2007. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a boat arson attack last year, but there is little evidence of the organization's presence in the archipelago.
Nasheed became the first democratically elected president of the Maldives in 2008 during the country's first multi-party elections after three decades of authoritarian rule. Internationally recognized for promoting democracy, Nasheed famously held an underwater cabinet meeting in 2009 to raise awareness about the threat of global warming, signing documents while officials wore diving gear against the backdrop of coral reefs. He stated at the time, "What we are trying to make people realize is that the Maldives is a frontline state, and this is not just an issue for the Maldives but for the whole world."
Nasheed resigned three years later amid protests against his rule and failed attempts to return to the presidency. He became the Speaker of Parliament in 2019, maintaining his influence in political life. Nasheed is a former political prisoner and was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015 on terrorism charges, which human rights organizations have deemed politically motivated. Authorities allowed Nasheed to leave prison for medical treatment, and he traveled to the UK, but he returned to his country in 2018. The following year, he contested the parliamentary elections and was later elected as the Speaker of the House, the second highest position in the power hierarchy.
