updated: May 07 2021, 20:28 ist
The Maldives speaker of parliament and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, was in critical care on Friday after being severely wounded in a bomb blast outside his home, hospital authorities said, in what police are treating as a terrorist attack.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for Thursday s explosion in the capital Male that has revived security concerns in the Indian Ocean islands, known for luxury resorts but which have also faced political unrest and Islamist militant violence.
Nasheed, the Maldives first democratically elected president who is now parliament speaker, had previously warned about militants infiltrating the Islamic country. He was getting into his car when the blast occurred.
By Syndicated Content
By Mohamed Junayd and Waruna Karunatilake
MALE (Reuters) â Maldivesâ former president Mohamed Nasheed was undergoing surgery on Friday after he was hit by shrapnel from a bomb blast outside his home, his party said.
Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for Thursdayâs explosion in the capital Male that has revived security concerns in the tropical islands known for its luxury resorts.
Nasheed, who is currently speaker of parliament, was getting into his car when the blast occurred. Local media reports suggested that a home-made explosive device was planted on a motorcycle parked near his car.
He was rushed to hospital for treatment of his wounds. âHe is stable, surgeries ongoing,â a spokesperson from Nasheedâs ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said on Friday.
Ex-Maldives leader wounded in attack
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AFP, MALE
Former Maldivian president and current parliamentary speaker Mohamed Nasheed yesterday underwent more surgery following an assassination attempt, but his condition was described as stable.
The Indian Ocean archipelago’s first democratically elected leader was seriously injured when a device attached to a motorcycle was detonated as he entered a car in the capital, Male, late on Thursday, an official said.
“Nasheed escaped an assassination attempt,” a Maldivian government official said. “He is injured, but his condition is stable.”