May 20, 2021
The attack on former Maldivian president and current parliamentary speaker Mohammad Nasheed on May 6, 2021 has led to speculation that the assassination bid was planned either by Islamist extremists or his political opponents. The Brief examines key aspects of the country’s tenuous social and political fabric and situates the problem of radicalisation in a historical as well as the contemporary context. In closing, it proposes a few measures India may consider taking to help Maldives strengthen its political stability and security.
At 8:39 pm on May 6, 2021, just before the COVID night-time curfew was to come into effect in Male, an IED blast struck the former President of Maldives and current Speaker of the Majlis (parliament), Mohammad Nasheed. The explosion also injured four other people accompanying him, including a British national. Reports noted that the home-made explosive device, packed with ball bearings to cause maximum damage, was planted on a