No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan
Former President Mohamed Nasheed has lodged a complaint with the counter terrorism command of the Metropolitan Police Service in the United Kingdom following a death threat sent to his phone.
The former president’s office revealed in a statement yesterday that the case was filed on Friday (October 3). The opposition leader is currently in the UK to attend the Conservative Party Conference.
“This threat is one of a line of threats from Islamist extremists,” reads the statement.
“The latest threat follows on from an attack upon the headquarters of the Maldivian Democratic Party [MDP] and an attack upon President Nasheed’s home in the Maldives.”
Shortly after midnight on September 26, the MDP’s office was set on fire following two consecutive nights of vandalism of the main opposition party’s office and numerous death threats sent from unlisted numbers to MDP MPs, the party’s senior members and dozens of journalists.
On the same night, the door of former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s residence was set ablaze whilst crude oil was thrown on Nasheed’s residence the previous night.
The statement from the former president’s office accused Maldivian police of not making “any moves to investigate these crimes” to date.
“President Nasheed has reiterated his concerns of growing fundamentalism and intolerance in the Maldives and more recently an attempt by Islamists to use criminal gangs to pursue crimes of this nature. Currently Maldivian Police appear unable to act to protect the lives of Maldivians. This issue of terrorism cannot continue to be ignored,” the statement read.
The UK police are investigating the death threat to trace its origin, the statement added.
“The information shared by UK police so far is that the texts received from the ‘private’ number are threats sent through Cardboardfish.com,” Nasheed tweeted today.
An IT expert with experience in the telecommunications field told Minivan News in August that it would be difficult to identify the culprit if the text messages were sent through an online mass text message service.
“Unless it came from a local IP address it would be almost impossible to trace it back. If they used anonymous proxy servers to send the texts it could be traced back to the SMS gateway, but no further,” he said
Nasheed previously revealed on Twitter that Eid greetings were sent to his phone from the same number that sent the death threat.
Eid Mubarik ge msg libunu nanbarun kurin libunee maruge inzaaru. Javaabu nudheveythy mi Tweet in Eid Mubarik dhanavan pic.twitter.com/YjBYz8Papk
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) October 3, 2014
Radicalised gangs
Prior to departing for the UK, Nasheed told reporters that radicalised gangs were behind the recent “atrocities” in the capital, noting that extremist religious indoctrination of youth was a relatively recent phenomenon in the Maldives.
“In my view, one of the most important reasons the government has to think deeply about this is because certain people are instilling their interpretation of Islam in the hearts of the boys in these gangs,” he contended.
Nasheed claimed that many young men from criminal gangs were seen in a protest march held in Malé on September 5 with participants bearing the militant organisation Islamic State (IS) flag and calling for the implementation of Islamic Sharia.
Of the approximately 150 participants, Nasheed claimed most were “active in gangs.”
“So youth in gangs are turning to ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] ideology. That activities of ISIS are happening in the Maldives is becoming very clear to us. And while this is happening, the government is unable to stop gang activities,” he said.
Meanwhile, MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News last month that death threats have become too commonplace to publicise each incident.
Following a rally in September, MDP MP Eva Abdulla received a text message threatening a suicide attack at the next MDP gathering. The message threatened to “kill off” MDP members and vowed to “fight to the last drop of blood.”
Several journalist were also sent a text message warning them not to cover “the incidents happening in Malé now.”
“This is a war between the laadheenee [secular or irreligious] MDP mob and religious people. We advise the media not to come in the middle of this. We won’t hesitate to kill you,” read the threat.
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Let's get one thing straight.
Killing free speech activists has nothing to do with Islam. Abducting Rilwan and trying to kill Hilath and murdering Afrasheem for his moderate views has nothing to do with "defending" Islam or upholding religious values. Killing people who speak up to defend the most basic human rights that even a little child can understand has absolutely nothing to do with being a good Muslim.
This is a political war waged against Maldives by radical fundamentalists. They want to take over Maldives and establish a caliphate. But that's never going to happen and most people are against their terrorist activites.
These Wahhabi terrorists can't digest the fact that they are being rejected by most Maldivians and the whole world. So, being the childish, brainwashed nincompoops that they are, they get angry about it and start killing people to get their way.
Just look at the tactics these Wahhabees have to use to promote their ideology. They can't get ordinary respectable citizens to promote their cause, so they use drug addicted murderous gangster scum to do it for them in the most sick possible way.
MDP is right to say that there are extremists elements in the police and military, because these terrorists live openly in our society and they have yet to see the inside of a courtroom.
Every single Maldivian should be concerned that the mob mentality, modus operadi is melding in with Islamic thought. The half baked dhivehi minds would take it as Islamic way, while the reality is that although veiled in religious rhetoric its gangster politics worst of human traits.
The Dhivhi social culture is turning into a cesspool.
Sending anonymous SMS messages is a no brainer. Any idiot can do that. And yes, it is nigh impossible to trace their origins, IF, the sender took the right steps.
There are easier ways to track that than from the records of an overseas ISP. The fact is that ALL internet traffic leaving the country go through well known routes. Those can be monitored and checked. Just ask the Chinese if you need help as they do that very well with The Great Firewall of China.
I just find it impossible to believe how stupid these people are for their search for this "Caliphate". The fact is that the Islamic Caliphate ran into trouble right at the very beginning. ALL Caliphs except the first, Abu Bakr were murdered! And this was just the beginning for the Caliphs that Prophet Mohammed himself appointed!
What chance do these morons think they have in 2014 in establishing any sort of Caliphate? They must be smoking something so strong, that their brains are completed f**ed.
Everyone is rocking the little boat called Maldives for political gain.
Islamic extremists are doing it. MDP is doing it. Political opportunists are doing it. PPM is doing it.
Fact of the matter is none of the above loves the Maldives.
… now its only tourists who love the Maldives.
@rocking the boat
Even the tourists don't love Maldives. They love the illusion, not the reality. No doubt the ignorant masses would be appalled if they were actually aware of what this place is really like for Maldivians and foreign workers.
In Maldives, there are many religious scholars who are preaching in good faith and manner.
But there is a crowd of preaches who see nothing beyond the tip of their noses, or what they are been 'fed' with the unseen 'chip' planted after their initial brainwashing had been over!
They cannot sit to talk and discuss nothing on mutual ground or basis!
What they say will have to be accepted and done; if not it will be a BIG NO!
There cannot be a compromise even if Allah (SWA) have given His peoples the right to decide!
@ Sheep
You bias is too much. Tourists come to maldives to enjoy and politics is the last thing on their mind.
Try to be fair even in your bias.
Why does UK involved in Maldives? They work with MDP to facilitated these attacks against them self to justify outside intervention as in the "Hebrew Spring" and now they try to same in Maldives! Maldives cannot leave Islam and those who attempt this lead astray from the path of Islam will face a consequence in this world and the next. Real Muslims must defend our religion from MDP and their foreign ally before it is too late.
Secularism is the bankrupt and dead ideology.
Kashim on Tue, 7th Oct 2014 12:58 AM
Why does UK involved in Maldives?
Because the messages were received whilst Nasheed was on UK soil. Which meant they were in breach of UK Law.
Small minded people should understand that Maldives is not exempt from international law and are answerable for their crimes.
DMF. Good than MDP and nasheed should answer for crimes against islam, friendship of zionists and sponsoring gangs to destabilized Maldives.
Kashim on Wed, 8th Oct 2014 11:06 PM
Just goes to prove my point that small minded people do not understand international law.
Crimes against Islam, really? Muslims are killing themselves all around the word all in the name of Islam, that's a crime.
Friendship of Zionists, Sorry can't find any reference to that being a crime. Actually Islam tells you to respect other religions and beliefs.
Sponsoring Gangs to destabilise the Maldives, I don't MDP needs any help in that matter when political parties and religious leaders do that to overthrow a democratically elected government before the end of their term in office.
Please keep up the posts, just to enforce the fact stupidity is alive and well in the small minded trolls who mistakenly believe they speak for the majority.