The Maldives police has arrested a fourth suspect related to the assassination attempt of former president Mohamed Nasheed. The attackers had detonated an improvised bomb placed in a motorcycle in a bid to kill the former president, now the Speaker of the Maldivian parliament.
The other three suspects had been arrested within days of the assassination attempt, which had taken place in the first week of May.
The government had blamed Islamist militants for the attack on Nasheed. Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih said that the attack that was carried outside Nasheed's home is "an attack on Maldives' democracy and economy". He promised a thorough investigation into the assassination attempt.
Nasheed, who is a popular leader is a known liberal and has been a stringent critic of terrorism. He has been a strong votary of democracy in Maldives, which has often seen coup attempts and unrest. He has, however, been extremely unpopular with the radical Islamists for his liberal line of thinking.
The attack injured him severely along with two bodyguards and two civilians. After critical medical support, Nasheed was flown to Germany for further treatment.
The Maldivian government sought the assistance of the Australian police in investigating the attack. UN experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) too joined the investigations.
The Islamic nation has a population of just 350,000 but has been beset with instability. The nation has banned the practice of non-Muslim faiths and some of the islands are highly radicalised.
With clear beaches, set in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is a popular tourist destination. The attack on the former president has garnered international headlines which the government wants to avoid for the harm it may cause to tourism.
During his tenure as the president, Nasheed had highlighted the issue most threatening his country besides radicalisation—climate change. In October 2009, he had organised a cabinet meeting underwater to put the global spotlight on how global warming is posing a threat to small island nations like Maldives.
