Boat blast probe: Seven held after Maldives weapons find

MALE: Maldives police arrested seven people after an investigation into a boat explosion that targeted President Abdulla Yameen led to the discovery of weapons hidden on the sea bed, officials said on Saturday. The weapons, including two hand grenades, a rifle, a pistol, and more than 100 bullets wrapped in carrier bags were found on the sea bed, at a depth of 45 metres, in the remote Baa Atoll, 130 km northwest to capital Male, officials said. Ali Ihusaan, a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) official said the investigation into the Sept. 28 boat blast had led to the discovery of the weapons, some of which could be used to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). “We found devices and equipment that could be used to make IEDs,” Ihusaan told reporters in Male.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2015.