The 2007 Malé bombing was a bomb blast on September 29, 2007, in Sultan Park near the
Islamic Centre in the
Maldivian capital
Malé
Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...
, injuring 12 foreign tourists. The park is located in the shadow Maldivian Army (
MNDF
, image = Emblem of the Maldives National Defence Force.svg
, alt = Emblem of the Defence Force
, caption = Maldives National Defence Force emblem
, image2 = Flag of the Maldives National Defe ...
) Headquarters where several
surveillance cameras
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly tr ...
are trained. It was the first known bombing to take place in the Maldives.
Local media reported that the bomb was homemade, and consisted of a gas cylinder, a washing machine motor and a mobile phone. The tourists hurt were eight from
China, two from
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, and two from
Japan.
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]
A state of high alert was declared in Maldivian cities. Both the airports and ferry services in Male' were placed on high alert. The president also held a security meeting at his residence attended by Home Minister Abdullah Kamal Deen, National Security Advisor Colonel Mansoor, and Tourism Minister Mahmood Shaugy.
Suspects
Within 48 hours, 12 suspects—ten Maldivian nationals and two foreigners—were arrested by police.
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On October 3 at a police press conference, an assistant commissioner of police gave reporters information on two of the suspects:
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Ahmed Naseer from
Kanduhulhudhoo,
Gaafu Alif Atoll
Gaafu Alifu (also known as Northern Huvadhu Atoll or Huvadhu Atholhu Uthuruburi, ހުވަދުއަތޮޅު އުތުރުބުރި) is an administrative division of the Maldives created on February 8, 1962, when Huvadhu Atoll was divided into two di ...
, and Moosa Inas from
Kalhaidoo,
Laamu Atoll. Both are Maldivian natives in their early twenties.
Mosque standoff
A standoff occurred when Maldivan authorities investigating the explosion attempted to enter the
Dar-al-Khuir mosque on the island of
Himandhoo. A 40-hour standoff ensued between authorities and male congregants, ending in the arrest of 60 men and boys, and injuries to 30 police, including one whose hand was chopped off.
Sentences
In December, three men were sentenced to 15 years in jail after they confessed to the bombing.
reported on 18 August 2010 that two of those imprisoned, Ahmed Naseer and Mohamed Sobah, had their sentences changed from incarceration to three-year suspended sentences under observation.
Indian Newspaper ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's ed ...
'' reported that charities that served as fronts for Pakistani terrorist groups like
Lashkar e Toiba used disaster relief missions to tsunami torn Maldives as an opportunity to recruit potential jihadists.
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They reported two prime suspect in the bombing, Mohamed Sobah and Ahmed Naseer, were set free in August 2010, although the deputy commissioner of the Maldives police, Ahmad Muneer, thought they were an internal security risk, and dangerous to Maldivian society.
Footnotes
External links
Video of the explosion from BBC news
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Male Bombing
Male bombing
History of the Maldives
Male bombing
Terrorist incidents in the Maldives
21st century in Malé
Attacks on tourists in Asia