Former Maldives president Mohammad Nasheed, who escaped an assassination bid on 6 May, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing probe into the case and asked his government to also find the people who planned and funded the attack. It won’t be enough just to arrest four people who detonated the IED, said Nasheed, who is currently in Germany for treatment for his injuries. 

In May, a homemade IED bomb wrapped in a motorcycle exploded near Nasheed’s home in Male when he approached his car, leaving him critically injured.  

“I believe that if the people who planned and funded this remain identified, they may detonate another bomb tomorrow. And there’s no doubt their mission is to kill me. Therefore, it will be very difficult for me to live freely in Male’ unless this gets done,” Nasheed was quoted as saying by Sun news. 

Importantly, Nasheed, who is also the speaker of the country’s parliament, in recent days has been seen stepping pressure on the government on the issue. Last week, he had called the government to mass arresting people to unearth the whole conspiracy. 
 
The government, he says, risks losing public confidence if it fails to conduct a proper investigation. Police needed to find the people who planned and funded the attack, he added. He further said investigation agencies needed more technical assistance for a fool-proof investigation.

Earlier, during a clubhouse chat,  Nasheed directly addressed President Solih, “I want to make it clear to the President, to do this (mass arrest of people)m fast without dragging your feet. You need to rise up to save (the) Maldives.”

Both, Solih and Nasheed, come from the ruling MDP party.

On Tuesday, he said, “no one should influence the investigation. Whether it’s the home minister, the president, or anyone else. The investigation must be conducted properly. ”

Furthermore, the discontent between the government and Nasheed has been growing for the last few weeks, fuelling the perception that the attack might be an inside job. Nasheed’s own daughter in a social media post alleged it could be an inside job, though Nasheed rejected the notion later. 

(SAM)