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Chief suspect in Afrasheem case changes testimony, confesses to MP’s murder

The chief suspect in the MP Dr Afrasheem Ali murder case has confessed to the crime in Criminal Court today, after previously denying his involvement in the attack earlier this month.

Hussain Humam, of Male’s Henveiru Lobby, told the court today (May 22) that he carried out the fatal attack on Afrasheem with the help of Ali Shan of Male’s Henveiru Hikost, and that the juvenile suspect in the case was also present.

Earlier this month, Humam confessed in court to multiple stabbings, robberies and at least one murder, but denied murdering the MP.

State prosecutors told the court that Dr Afrasheem’s DNA was found on the jeans Humam was wearing that night, local media reported.

During the court hearing today, Humam was given the opportunity to respond to the evidence produced against him.

Humam told the judge that “now that this is very clear I have nothing to say.” When the judge queried as to whether he was confessing, Humam replied “yes”.

The prosecution lawyers produced the statement Humam gave on December 7, 2012, when he was brought before the court to extend his pre-trial detention period, the statement given by the minor arrested in connection with the case, evidence supporting that Humam went to Dr Afrasheem’s house that night, evidences of Humam’s attack and evidence that Dr Afrasheem died of injuries caused to his body from the attack.

The prosecution told the court that the statement given by the minor and the statement given by Humam on December 7 matched the evidence, and told the court that Dr Afrasheem’s DNA samples were obtained from the jeans worn by Humam the night of Dr Afrasheem’s death.

The prosecution also said that there were witnesses who wanted to testify in court that they had learned Humam and a group of people had planned to murder Dr Afrasheem. The lawyers requested the judge keep the witnesses statements closed to the public.

When the judge asked Humam for his response was, he replied that he had already spoken of how Dr Afrasheem’s murder was carried out, and requested the judge to read out his statement given on December 7.

Humam then said that the idea of killing Dr Afrasheem was given to him by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer Azleef Rauf, who he met at the a baibalaa tournament held in 2012.

He said that at the baibalaa tournament Azleef had asked him not to get arrested, and that night sent him to pick up a kilogram of drugs from the airport that were smuggled in to the country by a Pakistani man. He said he dropped the drugs off to the house where a person he identified as ‘Mukkar’ lived.

Humam said he did it because Azleef had told him he would get half of the profit from selling it.

He said he was later sent by Azleef to Velidhoo island in Noonu Atoll to sell drugs, but the drugs they took did not sell and so he took it himself with a group of friends on the island.

Humam said he stayed on Velidhoo for three weeks and came back to Male’ on September 25, after Azleef called and asked him to come back.

According to Humam, after he came to Male’ he was invited to a coffee with Azleef, Javid and his brother ‘Jana’, where Azleef said that “I promise you will get MVR4 million if you murder Dr Afrasheem,” to which Javid’s brother ‘Jana’ replied “yes you will.”

Humam told the court that later he had met with a person called ‘Spy’ and Azleef where he asked them why he had to attack Afrasheem.

He said that they replied that one of the reasons they had to get rid of Dr Afrasheem was the remarks he made the day former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned.

Humam said Azleef had provided him with an identity card and money to buy SIM cards and mobile phones.

According to Humam, during that meeting ‘Spy’ and Azleef told him that they would meet again after Afrasheem had been murdered.

He said that on the evening of October 1, the night Afrasheem was killed, he went near the MP’s house to take a look after Azleef had asked him to do so.

The weapons and tools used in the attack were hidden in the house of a person called ‘Nangi’, Humam said.

He said he called ‘Nangi’ that night and asked him and Ali Shan [the second suspect charged with the murder] to come to his house.

When Shan and Humam went to Nangi’s house he came out with a big black dustbin bag which had jeans, tshirts, gloves, a machete and a bayonet knife.

The three of them went to the Henveiru park, got changed inside the park, and walked to Dr Afrasheem’s house. Humam said he waited inside the house for Shan to signal, who was waiting outside.

He said after a while Shan came inside and told him that Afrasheem was on the way, and 10 seconds later Afrasheem entered the house.

He said he then attacked Afrasheem with the machete and he felt to the ground, and then Shan came and attacked him with the bayonet knife.

Humam said he left the scene with Shan on a motorbike and stopped at the Shaheed Ali Mosque to wash his hands because he had blood on his jeans and tshirt.

He said he then went back to Henveiru Park and got changed again, and went to the Blue Bay Café where he again washed his hands.

Then he went inside the Henveiru Football ground to lie down, where he fell asleep and woke up the next morning when Azleef called him.

He said he walked out of the football ground to the near the State Bank of India, where he was arrested.

Humam said he had not received any amount of money from the murder, but said Azleef told him that he had received MVR1 million in advance.

He said he had seen himself hanged in his dreams and had talked about this to police officers. He also confessed that he had sent notes to Azleef through people released from pre-trial detention, and had tried to produce evidence in his defence.

Humam stated that on Ocotber 1, he spent the whole day drinking alcohol and smoking hash oil and did not go home after 3:00pm. He said that he finished four bottles of alcohol and smoked lots of hash.

He said he initially denied to the charges before thinking about what might happen to his family. But he said now wished to apologise to Dr Afrasheem’s family and repent.

When the Judge asked if there was anything else he would like to say, he said he would like to request the judge not sentence him to death.

MP Afrasheem was stabbed to death on the night of October 1 2012. His body was discovered by his wife at the bottom of the stairs of their apartment building shortly after midnight.

Humam’s next court hearing date has not yet been decided, Criminal Court Spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Manik told Minivan News today.

“A lot of procedures need to be completed prior to Humam’s next hearing,” said Manik. “Afrasheem’s family will be brought in to see what they want [in regard to whether they call for Humam to receive the death penalty].”

Shan’s Criminal Court case has yet to start.

It is unclear whether police intend to make additional arrests in light of Humam’s allegations.

Given that the investigation process is ongoing, the police will “reveal information as it progresses,” a police spokesperson told Minivan News today.

Earlier this May, the Juvenile Court sentenced a minor arrested in connection with Dr Afrasheem Ali’s murder to eight months imprisonment after the court found him guilty of misleading the police investigation.

Police Commissioner Abdullah Riyaz has previously claimed the child “deliberately misled” police by providing false information during their investigation into Afrasheem’s murder. The minor was the “lookout” during the stabbing and subsequent murder of the moderate Islamic scholar, Riyaz had alleged on December 4.

Rauf and Javid were also previously detained by police over their alleged involvement in the case. Both were later released by the court.

Javid spent 45 days in detention in connection to the Afrasheem murder, after which time at the time his lawyer argued his continued detention was unconstitutional given there was no evidence to support keeping him in custody.

On the day of Javid’s release (January 17), his brother Shahin Mohamed was taken away “without any warning” by police whilst waiting with Javid’s family outside of the court. Mohamed was released from police custody three hours after he was taken away by police.

In December last year the MDP accused the police of attempting to pin Afrasheem’s murder on its members, instead of going after those guilty of the crime.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has previously alleged that the murder of the MP was “well planned” and worth MVR 4 million (US$260,000), the same amount stated by Humam in court.

Humam’s confession closely follows a statement from the UN team in the Maldives calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

At the same time, a US State Department report into religious freedom released earlier this week noted that one of the “more prominent theories” about the murder of moderate Islamic scholar and parliamentarian Afrasheem Ali was “that violent extremists viewed Afrasheem’s very public moderate approach to Islam as apostasy and killed him to send a message to moderate Muslims that a strict interpretation of Islam is the only acceptable approach.”

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Maldives UN team calls for abolition of death penalty, flogging

The UN country team in the Maldives has issued a statement calling for the abolition of both corporal punishment and the death penalty in the Maldives.

While the Maldives still issues death sentences, these have traditionally been commuted to life sentences by presidential decree since the execution of Hakim Didi in 1954, for the crime of practicing black magic.

Recent calls for presidential clemency to be blocked led former attorney general Azima Shukoor to draft a bill favouring the implementation of the penalty via lethal injection. It was met with opposition by several religious groups such as the NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf, which called for the draft to be amended in favour of beheadings or firing squads.

More recently, the state has called for a High Court verdict on whether the practice of presidential clemency can be annulled.

The Maldives continues to issue and implement flogging sentences for certain crimes, notably extra-marital sex. The vast majority of those sentenced are women.

An earlier call by UN High Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay in 2011 calling for a moratorium on flogging as a punishment for extramarital sex led to protesters gathering outside the UN building, carrying placards with angry slogans including “Islam is not a toy”, “Ban UN” and “Flog Pillay”.

Earlier this year, widespread global publicity of such a sentence handed to a 15 year-old rape victim led to two million people signing an Avaaz petition calling for an end to the practice of flogging in the Maldives.

In its statement, the UN team in the Maldives called for the Maldives to ensure its legislation and practices fulfilled the international human rights obligations to which it was signatory.

“The Maldives made a commitment following its Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2010 to maintain a moratorium on the death penalty, in line with its vote in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution 65/206,” the UN statement read.

“In view of the country’s more than 50-year moratorium, the United Nations calls upon the Maldives to take the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to its international human rights obligations, and abolish the death penalty,” it added.

The UN noted that flogging as a punishment was prohibited under the Maldives’ international commitment “to prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” – to which all three the Maldives has signed.

“The United Nations Country Team notes with particular concern the possibility in the Maldives of sentences of death, as well as corporal punishment to persons who committed crimes while below 18 years of age. These concerns have also been expressed to the Maldives by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2012, and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2007,” the statement read.

“Article 6(5) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides, ‘Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age’,” it noted, “while Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides, ‘No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age.’”

The UN noted that more than 150 countries have no either abolished the death penalty or ceased to practice it, “a global trend also seen among countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.”

“The United Nations Country Team stands ready to support the Maldives to ensure its legislation and practices fulfil its international human rights obligations,” it added.

Earlier in May the Juvenile Court issued the death sentence to two 18 year-olds found guilty of the February 18, 2012 murder of Abdul Muheeth of Galolhu Veyru House.

Three minors were charged in the case, and one was acquitted by the court. The two sentenced to death are both 18 years-old, although both were underage and minors at the time of the murder.

The sentencing led Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia-Pacific Director Polly Truscott to warn that the Maldives was “entering new and dangerous territory – imposing death sentences for crimes allegedly committed by children is alarming.”

The death penalty is widely supported in the Maldives as either adherence to stricter interpretations of Islamic Sharia, or as a perceived method of reducing violent crime.

Public opposition to the death penalty tends to rest more on a widespread lack of trust in the capabilities of the judiciary to implement such punishments fairly, with 50 percent of the country’s 207 judges reported to have less than grade seven education, rather than objections on human rights grounds.

Current revision to the new penal code by the parliamentary committee responsible have been challenged on religious grounds by figures such as Sheikh Ilyas of the Adhaalath Party – presently in coalition with President Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP).

The chair of the religious conservative AP’s scholars’ council and member of the Fiqh Academy was summoned to the committee last week after claiming that the draft legislation (in Dhivehi) did not include Shariah penalties for fornication, apostasy and violent robbery.

The initial draft of the penal code was prepared by legal expert Professor Paul H Robinson and the University of Pennsylvania Law School of the United States, upon the request of the Attorney General in January 2006. The project was supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

“If it is passed, there is no doubt that there will be no religion in this Muslim society that claims to be 100 percent Muslim. There will be no Islamic punishments,” Sheikh Ilyas stated in a sermon delivered at the Furqan mosque in Male’ on March 23.

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Maleesha Hajj Group owner denies fraud charges in court

Maleesha Hajj Group owner Islmail Abdul Latheef ,who is being accused of fraudulently collecting funds from Maldivians who wanted to perform Hajj in Mecca last year, has denied charges against him in the Criminal Court.

Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed today asked Ismail Abdul Latheef to state the reasons as to why he had denied the charges. Latheef requested he be given time to respond.

Judge Abdulla Mohamd asked Ismail Abdul Latheef to state his reasons during the next hearing held.

At today’s hearing the state was given the opportunity to produce evidence against him, however the state attorney refused to produce the evidence before Ismail Abdul Latheef stated his reasons as to why he was denying the charges.

The PG has alleged that Latheef had fraudulently obtained MVR 8 million (US$519,000 ) from many people after they made payments to the Maleesha Hajj Group to travel to Mecca to perform Hajj.

Latheef was arrested in Colombo, Sri Lanka in November 2012, a month after police issued an Interpol red notice to locate and apprehend him. Authorities were reported to have arrested Latheef while he was in the Mount Lavinia Hotel in Colombo.

Hajj groups are authorised by the government to provide transport and accommodation for pilgrims in Mecca, as well as offering guidance in helping them complete the religious rituals.

At the time, Sri Lankan police told local newspaper Haveeru that Abdul Latheef was suspected of being involved in a Sri Lankan money laundering ring as well, and that he was also suspected of collecting money from Sri Lankans.

Latheef’s father is the head of the Athama Hajj Group.

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Civil Court rejects Umar Naseer’s request to overturn dismissal from PPM

The Civil Court has ruled that it has no reason to issue an injunction to halt a decision made by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s disciplinary committee regarding Umar Naseer, and have rejected his request.

The Civil Court ruling stated that Umar Naseer has the opportunity to appeal the decision of the disciplinary committee with the party’s own appeal committee.

The court referred to Umar’s accusations that the party’s disciplinary committee was under the influence of certain figures within the party, and said that he was not able to prove these accusations.

The Civil Court said that unless this was proved otherwise the court had to consider that the disciplinary committee and appeal committee of the PPM were functioning as stated in the party’s charter.

The ruling was issued today by Civil Court Judge Aisha Shujoon.

Although the court ruling on the request for injunction came today, Umar Naseer has been already dismissed from the party.

In April, Umar Naseer submitted a case to the Civil Court seeking a ruling that he was dismissed from the party against the party’s regulations.

In May, Naseer resubmitted the case at the Civil Court to try and invalidate the outcome of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) primary vote.

Umar, who contested the PPM presidential primary against the party’s Parliamentary Group Leader and eventual winner MP Abdulla Yameen, has since been removed from the party after accusing his rival of rigging the vote to secure his victory.

The previous case seeking to invalidate the PPM primary was submitted by party member Rahma Moosa, who alleged that thousands of voters were not officially registered with the PPM at the time they cast votes on their preferred party candidate.

Rahma Moosa reportedly filed the case claiming that 8,915 people who were not officially registered as members of PPM had been allowed to vote in the primary. She contended that the move contravened the Political Party Act and compromised the rights of all general members of the party.

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President calls on country to put “national stability” ahead of political affiliations

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has called on the people of the Maldives to put “national stability” ahead of political affiliations, local media has reported.

The president was quoted by newspaper Haveeru during a recent ceremony as claiming every citizen in the country presently faced the risk of being stabbed or harassed on the country’s streets.  He also pointed to unspecified “obstacles”  over implementing law and order in the country.

During the ceremony, which was held to meet with Thiladhunmathi Atoll residents, President Waheed also reportedly called for amendments to the constitution would be required to strengthen the Maldivian political system.

He added that with the abrupt changes seen in Maldivian politics as a result of the people, the public did not wish to “go back”, Haveeru reported.

The Maldives held its first ever multi-party democratic election in 2008.

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31 companies express interest in Hulhumale’ residential development

The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has said 31 parties have expressed interest in developing residential complexes and row house units on the island of Hulhumale’, according to local media.

The HDC said the interested parties have been invited to submit their bids during a special meeting scheduled for next week – with the best seven proposals then being chosen, Sun Online has reported.

Under the bidding process, three of the seven overall plots of land are set aside to be developed as mixed-use residential complexes, with the remainder of plots being used for row housing.

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US calls for Maldives to address rights abuses, lift restrictions on religious freedom

The Maldivian government’s respect for freedom of religion has declined in the past year, according to the US State Department’s 2012 Report on International Religious Freedom.

The report highlighted “increasing reports of abuses of religious freedom, religious intolerance and governmental restriction of religious freedom and pressure to conform to a stricter interpretation of Islamic practices” in the Maldives.

The report concluded these concerns were especially relevant after the controversial transfer of power in February 2012.

The US State Department said it had emphasised during regular missions to the Maldivian government the importance of the right to religious freedom. It detailed that “the embassy advocated for the right of all residents of the country to practice the religion of their choice, and encouraged efforts to promote religious tolerance.”

Pointing out that the Constitution of the Maldives and other laws and regulations restricted freedom of religion, the report found the government to have enforced these in practice.

“The law prohibits citizens’ practice of any religion other than Islam and requires the government to exert control over all religious matters, including the practice of Islam. There were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief or practice,” the findings reported.

“There was an increasing trend among political leaders to call for greater limits on religious groups and activities. There was an increasing use of religion in political rhetoric, which led to derogatory statements about Christianity and Judaism, and harassment of citizens calling for a more tolerant interpretation of Islam. Anti-Semitic rhetoric among conservative parties continued.”

The report added that according to government records, all 350,800 citizens are required to be Muslim, with the majority of this number practicing Sunni Islam. Non-Muslim visitors to the country are only allowed to practice their religion in private, it added.

Increasing abuse of religious freedom

The US issued study claimed there was also an increase in reports of abuse of religious freedom, ranging from detention of individuals to pressure to conform to a stricter interpretation of the religion.

Pointing out that conversion to Islam from another religion can lead to the rescinding of the convert’s citizenship, the report stated that no such incidences were reported in 2012.

“The government subjected individuals who made public calls for religious tolerance to extended extrajudicial police detention”, the US State Department said in the report.  It added that the government had also “deported individuals found with Christian images” while detaining “several individuals for periods of several weeks on charges of ‘anti Islamic’ behaviour before releasing or deporting them”.

The report found that the government continued to control all religious matters, mainly through its Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

The State Department also stated that the Ministry published a weekly newsletter advocating a line of religion thought as that of the ministry itself.  The report added that government officials had said the newsletter was aimed at “maintaining a moderate Islamic environment.”

Banning ‘unauthorised gatherings’, state inaction against violence

The US State Department noted a number of incidences that occurred in 2012 to back its findings.

These included a government ban on discos and the deployment of police to conduct patrols to close down ‘unauthorised gatherings’. It also refers to the mob attack on the National Museum, which saw pre-Islamic artifacts destroyed. The attack occurred at the time of last year’s controversial power transfer on February 7.

“The ministry continued efforts to curb what it described as the ‘prevalence of un-Islamic practices’ in the country due to lack of religious awareness,” the US State Department claimed.

The report highlighted the case of a Bangladesh national who was kept in detention for 23 days prior to deportation, without being charged with any crime. According to the report, his employer alleged that he was deported after police discovered books on Christianity in his possession.

The report also accused the government of inaction over the attacks on local freelance journalist Ibrahim ‘Hilath’ Rasheed, who is described in the report as being “known for his moderate views on Islam.”

The report states that Hilath believes the “attack was carried out by violent extremists in the country.”

The report claimed that the blocking in the country of Hilath’s personal blog by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in 2011, on the justification that it had anti-Islamic content, remained in effect.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said that one of the “more prominent theories” about the murder of moderate Islamic scholar and parliamentarian Afrasheem Ali October 2, 2012, was “that violent extremists viewed Afrasheem’s very public moderate approach to Islam as apostasy and killed him to send a message to moderate Muslims that a strict interpretation of Islam is the only acceptable approach.”

The report highlighted incidences of societal harassment and abuse targeted towards citizens, especially women, who do not conform to strict, narrow “acceptable guidelines”.

Religion in political rhetoric

The report claimed there had been an increased use and continuation of anti-Semitic rhetoric by public officials throughout the last 12 months.

One example given was a pamphlet titled “President Nasheed’s Devious Plot to Destroy the Islamic Faith of Maldivians”, authored by a former home minister of the current administration, Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.

Dr Jameel was recently removed from his cabinet post by President Waheed over concerns of a potential conflict of interest after he became the presidential running mate for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – becoming a direct rival of the incumbent.

“The pamphlet received wide-spread attention upon it’s release and played a role in the events that eventually led to the February 7 transfer of power,” it read.

The report further refers to statements made by President Waheed, who came to office following last year’s transfer of power.

“During the year, President Waheed warned the nation that foreign parties were attempting to influence the country’s ideology and promote secularism; he urged citizens to resist these impulses,” the report read.

Laws governing religion

According to the findings of the report, the government interprets the Constitutional clause naming Sunni Islam as the official religion and the government regulations being based on Islamic law as imposing a requirement that all citizens must be Muslim.

Stating that Civil Law is subordinate to Islamic Law, the report points out that the law prohibits the making of public statements which are contrary to Islam, leaving offenders subject to a two to five year jail sentence.

Furthermore, all are prohibited to publicly discuss Islam unless by prior government invitation, and Imams are not allowed to prepare sermons without government authorisation.

Several constitutional articles declare the practice of Islam as mandatory, and all schools are required to “inculcate obedience to Islam” and “instill the love of Islam” in students.

The report said that any actions found to breach the country’s Religious Unity Act were subject to criminal penalties.

Specific crimes included in the act, which is highlighted in the US issued report, include “working to disrupt the religious unity of Maldivians”, “delivering religious sermons or engaging in public discussions in a way that infringes upon the independence and sovereignty of the country” and “propagating any religion other than Islam”.

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Four MTCC harbour projects stalled over lack of construction material

The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has suspended harbour projects on four islands over the lack of construction material.

The government-owned public company said in a press release today that construction has stalled in Noonu Manadhoo, Shaviyani Komandoo, Raa Ungoofaru and Faafu Feeali as the remaining work required reinforcement rock boulders or conglomerate.

“Continuing such large projects while conglomerate is not available from India has resulted in a more than 100 percent increase in the price of materials as well as many logistical difficulties,” the press release stated.

It added that the company won the bids for the harbour projects based on the prices of construction material available from India at the time.

“In the past three months, the company has tried in various ways to purchase aggregate. At the same time, the company is also working with all the institutions involved in this matter to speedily resolve this issue,” the press release concluded.

On February 15 this year, the Indian government revoked a special quota afforded to the Maldives for the import of aggregate and river sand. The move led to a shortage of the supply of construction material and subsequent rising costs for construction companies.

The Indian government’s decision followed a diplomatic row with Maldives over the current administration’s termination of a concession agreement with Indian infrastructure GMR to upgrade and develop the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

In December last year, Indian authorities also tightened visa restrictions for providing medical visas to Maldivians, leading to people queuing outside the Indian High Commission to obtain visas to travel for medical treatment.

In some instances, local people complained of queuing for over 24 hours outside the High Commission’s building in Male’ to try and get a limited number of daily tokens.

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Police form gang task force, arrest three men for involvement in stabbing

Three men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in last Friday’s stabbing incident – the first in a succession of violent crimes in Male’ over several days –  prompting police to form a special task force for combating gang violence.

Police arrested Mohamed Kinaanath Ahmed, 28 years-old, of Lobby house in Male’s Henveiru neighborhood, Ahmed Shirhan Shameem, 21 years-old, from Kolhufushi Island in Meemu Atoll, and Assad Ibrahim Rasheed, 18, of Male’ Dhaftharu 7644, on “suspicion of stabbing Mohamed Shaifan” on Friday (May 17).

Kinaanath was previously released from jail under the ‘second chance’ program and is the older brother of Hussain Humaam. Humaam is currently being tried in the Criminal Court for his alleged connection to the murder of Ungoofaaru Constituency MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Shaifan was the first victim in a series of four stabbing incidents that occurred in Male’ over a 48 hour period, resulting in a total of five people injured as police continue to search for suspects.

The three suspects to have been arrested, as well as the five stabbing victims, all have police records “tying them” to theft, assault, and narcotics cases, a police spokesperson told Minivan News today (May 21).

Police have identified several additional suspects linked to the series of stabbings and are currently searching for the individuals, the official added.

“Gangs will be stopped”

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz told local media that gang reprisals are believed to be behind the recent series of stabbing attacks.

“Gangs will be stopped. We will do whatever it takes to bring the gangs to justice. The police will not back down in their efforts,” said Commissioner Riyaz.

The Police Services announced Monday (May 20) that a special task force has been created, under the Specialist Crime Command, to combat gang activity in the Maldives.

“The task force will address various activities, criminal or otherwise, carried out by groups of individuals who identify themselves as gangs. Additionally, it aims to take every action possible to curb gang activity to an extent that ensures safety and peace in the community.”

To fulfill its mandate, the special task force will monitor gang activity, investigate any unlawful actions carried out therein, attempt to hasten prosecution on such matters.

The now-active task force consists of members from the Forensics Directorate, Intelligence and Covert Policing Command, Information and Communication Directorate, Central Operations Command and Technical Police from the Divisional Operations Command of the Maldives Police Service.

“We have made great strides into the investigation of the recent violence. But we need a lot of assistance from the public to catch these perpetrators. So it is our sincere request for people to come forward with photographs or videos of the crimes,” Commissioner Riyaz added.

Dynamic local gangs

“The recent series of stabbings are quite worrying because there has been an absence of violent crime like this for some time,” former head of police intelligence Chief Superintendent Mohamed ‘MC’ Hameed told Minivan News today.

“Now that we’ve seen five stabbing victims of violent crime, we might see one or two more incidents,” said Hameed.

“There are many locally known crime gangs of varying size and capacity. The way local crime gangs operate is quite dynamic,” he continued. “They individually carry out crimes in accordance with ‘others’ orders, instructions, and payments.”

“Gang rivalries have existed for a long time, it’s an everyday thing. The fact that these recent stabbings occurred during the daytime is not new [practice],” he added.

Hameed explained that previously, the police would know that a particular stabbing was carried out by a certain group, even if evidence was lacking, and the persons involved would be identified between 24 to 72 hours after an incident occurred.

Regarding the recent stabbings, Hameed said the incidents are probably retaliatory and inter-related based on what local media has reported. He also alleged that the three men that have been arrested are part of a gang based in Male’.

“I don’t understand the link between these three and Shaifan, but it’s quite possible,” he said.

“No effective policing approach”

“It’s also very worrying thing that policing, in Male’ especially, is not sustained well. There is not a clear approach to reduce and deal with violent crimes and criminals,” stated Hameed.

“Not being able to police Male’ – the most populated city in the country – due to the lack of an effective strategy and the disconnect between the key areas of criminal investigations, intelligence gathering, and front line policing is a big issue,” he added.

In addition to the lack of a “very effective policing approach” to combat violent crime, low level crimes have not been addressed, according to Hameed.

“A lot of antisocial behavior goes unnoticed and unaddressed by the police, such as harassment and public nuisance. For example, girls of a very young age are harassed, even while walking with their families. Additionally, juveniles are seen under the influence of drugs and intoxicated in public,” he explained.

Hameed advocated that a strong, more integrated, holistic approach is needed that applies a broader strategy to effectively reduce crime.

“Increasing police officers physical presence, as well as effective targeting of high profile offenders and hotspots needs to be addressed,” Hameed said.

“Collaboration between criminal investigations, intelligence gathering, and front line policing are three areas that have never worked that effectively,” he added.

These departments lack a common understanding of one another as well as streamlined “organisational engineering”, and are reluctant to collaborate, according to Hameed.

“To be more effective, key personnel from these departments must come together regularly, at the start of duty shifts, once daily, and weekly, to target, prioritise, and discuss arrangements to ensure a safe environment [for the public],” he suggested.

During former Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh’s time a gang task force was established, while former Police Deputy Commissioner Mohamed Rishwan developed a severe and organised crime strategy to proactively combat these issues, Hameed explained.

“We had a dedicated team, work space, facilities, and arrangements focused on gang criminals to reduce and prevent such violent crimes,” said Hameed.

“It was a more proactive approach, and we saw some success, but was not sustained [by the current government],” he continued.

“There are approximately 16 locations we identified as high risk hotspots [for gang activity] but those areas might have increased in the last year. If police regularly attend these locations, we might not see violent crimes,” he added.

While Hameed believes targeting high profile criminals is an effective strategy, he “can understand the police cannot always focus on these offenders given the current government situation involving protesters and the police getting called for ‘public order policing’,” he said.

“With the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections, police need to stick to their basic mission of keeping the peace. They need a very clear mandate, because it is also their duty to make sure violent crimes don’t affect the election environment making it unsafe to be out on the streets,” Hameed emphasised.

“After this government’s formation in 2012, the President’s Office came up with a crime prevention committee, which included all law enforcement [agencies] and [relevant] ministries, however we have yet to see results,” claims Hameed.

Four attacks and five victims in 48 hours

Shaifan was stabbed near Star Cinema in Male’s Maafanu neighbourhood, which was reported to police around 6:30pm Friday (May 17).

Police have confirmed that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and attacked Shaifan “in the company of others”. The 20 year-old victim suffered “deep injuries” about three inches wide and two inches deep in two locations on his back, near his lungs and backbone, according to police. Shifan underwent surgery and is still receiving medical treatment at an unspecified hospital, according to police.

The Criminal Court recently acquitted Shaifan, and five other suspects, for the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan that occurred on April 1, 2012, outside the Westpark restaurant on Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the outer ring road of Male’. The court acknowledged that Ali Shifan’s DNA was found under Shaifan’s fingernail, and accepted that this was “strong forensic evidence”, however ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict.

The second attack, which also took place Friday, occurred near Machangolhi Cemetery in Male’s Machangolhi neighbourhood and was reported to police around 7:00pm. The victim, Hussain Ziyad, 19 years-old, from Hithadhoo Island in Seenu Atoll, suffered two stab wounds to the shoulder and one in the back, but has since been released from the hospital.

Police have revealed that their investigation has indicated the attack was premeditated.

On Saturday (May 18), two young men, 18 year-old Naseeb Saeed from Feydhoo Island in Seenu Atoll and 21 year-old Mohamed Azhan Ismail from Male’s Maafanu neighborhood, were stabbed near Azmi-Naeem Medical & Diagnostic Centre (AMDC) in Maafanu at approximately 3:30pm, a police media official told Minivan News at the time.

A group of people on motorcycles attacked the pair with a “sharp object”, stabbing Saeed five times causing injuries to his abdomen, shoulder near his chest, and back, while Ismail suffered two “deep lacerations” to the back.

Both victims remain in serious condition at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Deputy Head Chief Superintendent of Police Mohammed Riyaz of the Specialist Crime Command told local media Riyaz. No arrests have been made at this time, however police have identified two suspects during the course of their investigation.

The fourth stabbing incident occurred Sunday (May 19) in Male’s Maafanu neighborhood at approximately 6:20pm.

The victim, 19 year-old Usman Shareef from Male’s Maafanu neighborhood, fled into an electronics store, where he tried to shelter from his attackers. However, an eyewitness told local media that although the victim ran into the shop and hid behind the counter, the group followed him into the shop, stabbed him in two places, and then fled the scene.

The victim was taken to ADK Hospital via motorcycle by the store’s employees. He is currently being treated for neck and arm injuries.

Riyaz stated that police have found evidence linking some suspected individuals to the case and are investigating further.

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