Airport traffic controller in suspected suicide

An air traffic controller at Male’ International Airport was found dead at 4:00am this morning after apparently hanging himself from the control tower.

The man, identified by newspaper Haveeru as 26 year-old Ismail Mohamed Didi, was discovered after airport workers received no response from the tower’s phone.

The case was reported to police around 5:00am. Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the body was found hanging from the tower but said it was too early to confirm whether the death was a suicide.

“His body was first taken to Hulhumale’ hospital and now he is in Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH),” he said. “We are investigating the case.”

Spokesperson for the Maldives Airports Company (MACL) Rahmathulla Ashraf told Haveeru that the company could only comment once the police investigation was concluded.

“We are also waiting for the findings of the investigation,” he said.

Rahmathulla claimed the incident did not disrupt the operations of the control tower.

A source familiar with the victim said Didi was a junior air traffic controller who performed his job well.

The source said Didi had been an air traffic controller for 6-7 years and had recently worked at Kaadedhoo airport in Huvadhu atoll.

“He went up the control tower around 3:00am, a quiet time when there is no air traffic,” said the source.

“People at the airport received no response from the tower, so they went up to check and found him hanging there.”

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33 thoughts on “Airport traffic controller in suspected suicide”

  1. Why did he commit suicide at that particular place?

    To make it public? Suicide will be public anyway so it cannot be to make it public.

    To make sure someone sees him hanging there and become psychologically disturbed?

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  2. @the above comment
    dear whoever u are...who are u o any of us to judge a persons mental status when he/she commits such an act??in our religion it is said tht a suicide becomes a kufuru maru if the person is in sound mind and by his own free will takes his life, however we cannot prove that he was sane,can we?? so pls dnt ask these stupid ignorant questions..this wil not do anyone any gud..it just adds to the suffering of the family..u cnt imagine and God willing u wnt have to feel how sumthing like this effects such a persons loved ones.
    to conclude: no.this was not a publicity stunt&esp not to do anyone any sort of harm. this was just Someone who lost hope.whether he was sane or not-only God knws..may God forgive his sins and bless his soul..and give his family the strength to cope with the loss.Amen.

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  3. Hope this is has nothing to do with the proposed privatization of the airport...

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  4. I find this case a bit different to other cases of death by hanging. I think it should be investigated thoroughly to rule out foul play.

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  5. The slanderers and the backbiters who call themselves "muslims" are already on this case, calling Ismail an "atheist" and that "he deserved to die."

    Woe upon them, if this turns out to be not suicide, but murder.

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  6. and who is to say where sanity ends and insanity begins...

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  7. @aag.

    My comment published above is edited by Minivannews for whatever reason.

    I completely agree with you.

    My point - I believe the case should be thoroughly investigated as Rocket has said here.

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  8. May Allah give this man's family the strength to cope with their loss. Ameen.

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  9. @Ahmed Anony
    sheesh, dude. do u always have a comment against muslims? i understand, u dont like muslims that much but man, give urself a break...

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  10. It is not fair to comment that it was really a suicide when we no not have proof. We should also take into account the mental state of the person, if he really did commit suicide. We should also know when the suicide rate goes up, there is something very wrong in our society. The cause should be identified. We all are responsible.

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  11. Well I don't think it’s his state of mind. Seems that he came to duty well prepared and his choice of the Tower seems he really wanted to get noticed.
    These people who are working in the tower is one of a kind…...full VIP services totally out casted from normal staff just because of their high responsibility and risk which makes them above all and no one equal. There was one other ATC guy who went insane using drugs went naked into the mosque and beat the hell out of his father while he was in the mosque.
    The place has been probably cursed somehow may be related to higher ego or something.

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  12. "bodu kashi li buruma" is right. Air Traffic Controllers are segregated both physically and mentally from the rest of the staff. For whatever reason, throughout the years, they have been regarded by management and themselves that they are an elite group head and shoulders above the rest. Sadly, they are all too human, and one wonders if this separation is ultimately a good thing at all...

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  13. @anony

    dude you better watch yourself coz i think you have got some problems...maybe you need some counselling. i think athiests who are obsessed about muslims and muslims who are obsessed about athiests both need it...

    i am a muslim and almost everyone i know in this country are muslims, family and friends. i have yet to hear any ill comment from them regarding this. but among others, i have seen a muslim blame this person's ageedha and an athiest make crude jokes about this. they are not my friends nor family. it all depends on the person and their personality, not their creed.

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  14. must be a telling.,
    of things to come.
    dark days these are.
    no telling when the sun will come up.
    but as they say in Gaul, even the Germanics had to wither and away sometime
    if news is anything to go by though,
    hardly anything at all besides,
    the sea that is still green.
    light & day indeed,
    alas running amok this nation of nations,
    this land of lands,
    this here islands of islands.
    'kurravvaashi amaan, mi'alhaage uffan ..

    the filth of saruman is washed away, not yet, but anni counts his marbles, no?

    hassan saeed we see you, barely .

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  15. Dear Friends:

    Read this Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and take some heed

    "Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl is coming to you, as a believer. Do not revile his father because reviling the dead is offensive to the living and does not affect the dead."

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  16. @ bodu kashi li buruma

    i pity you for your lack of information about Maldives ATC and the air traffic controllers.

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  17. @mukhamed: please spare us the poetry. it's awful.

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  18. Excuse-me. Why atheist- Gay people get confuse of there this early age of life. Dont they have another option. is this done by SATAN. i mean i cant think of this sick thing. hillatha-gay was found last month and reported by minivan. what is going on. al those who hate islam is being confused by them-self. i want know abt islam. what realy islam is.we must read n get know even if dont agreen on some issues..Arent these gay pople make fun of aithest in maldives? Damm F....g. he said on his fB pic that he will go to hell.. am asking ,do u have any sintific fact of hell.

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  19. @bodu kaashi. please dont think you are too informed and intelligent. You have no right to so things like "one of a kind". We are talking here about a very responsible young person found dead. If you can't keep this conversation emotionally sound just keep your mouths shut. that goes for the rest of those of you who wants to grab some attention showing off your humor or intelligence. bs.

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  20. @hama & fahaafoshi: Not really. Its just that ISCO's outpost got spammed with a bunch of links with malicious lies that the so-called muslims were spreading around as if it was the truth.

    So, like a good patriot, I passed those links to people whom he was a good friend of. Needless to say, they too now think that the so-called muslims need to stfu and actually speak the truth instead of going around parroting lies they want everyone to believe.

    Oh, and I interpreted your opening statement as a threat, fahaafoshi. I'm mildly amused.

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  21. dear people stop reading hadith... start looking into statistics for answers!!!! we have no ideal place for patient with mental disorder such as bipolar or schizophrenia which is one of the rising metal disorders in the maldives.. there is no right treatment available for them other than guraidhoo.... young get abused and rapped there.. this is what our situation is. depression and mental disorder are named as Jinni Avalun!! so for maldivians treatment is fanditha!! and all the credit to discovering faditha treatment for maldives goes to hadiths and religious scholars.. i blame religion.

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  22. he wanted publicity to the case. he got it. must be for a reason.

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  23. it is a very stressful job.It has nothing to with his creed, sex orientation or publicity. These people need to be psychologically evaluated on regular basis. It is always advised to see psychiatrist. I hope police will not conclude investigation that he commit suicide cause he is atheist

    condolences to family and friends

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  24. @Sextus : When i look at ATC from Male it looks like a place filled with Monks.. better investigate the whole place ...there may be a catch in it....but i hope there are a few real Muslims inside that building. May Allah protect them from those people who idolize western cultures and also from those people who has English accent when they speak dhivehi.

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  25. and one more thing.. i am not against ATC staff..... its just the talk that goes around the town..you folks are just doing a great job ... just change little things here and there and maybe things can get better.

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  26. hey why do u guys blame atc staff for wht happened. the deceased's friends know he doesnt belive in god. when someone looses his belief in religion and in almighty allah there is no coming back for him. he is doomed for hell.

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  27. I talk to the ATC guys everyday , and let me tell you that they are one of the most educated , talented and hard working people I've seen in the maldives.

    What surprised and shocked me is why someone of that nature could easily take his life away. Being a muslim I am against suicide and also Im against people threatening others just because they don't have faith in a religion that they are supposed to.

    The bottom line is this human does not have faith in the religion , his life , his family and friends and that is why he killed himself. I cant even imagine what his family and close friends will be going through right now for his selfish act.

    My deepest condolences to his family and friends. MAY ALMIGHTY ALLAH FORGIVE HIM AND GIVE HIM A PLACE IN PARADISE

    AMEEN

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  28. i honestly dont understand why everyone is blaming this on the religion?
    grow up people, if he didnt believe in religion, fine its upto him. Nobody can force religion on anyone.
    if he was a mentally strong person he sure would have found a better solution for his problems.
    i read some writing about a mail to an asylum in UK by him, he just was too confused and complicated and weak in his own mind that he took this step.
    Everyone faces hardship in life, if he couldnt deal with it then it was his problem.NOT THE RELIGION OR OTHER MUSLIMS ARE TO BLAME HERE.

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  29. Siya - You are not informed. First, to be a citizen in the Maldives, you are required to embrace Sunni Islam.

    Second, "Nobody can force religion on anyone." Technically no they can't but Muslims will still kill you for apostasy. Which is apparently what happened here.

    "NOT THE RELIGION OR OTHER MUSLIMS ARE TO BLAME HERE." - Taqiyya.

    "nOT TH

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  30. he was murdered or the software which was installed into his brain by his parents friends and whoever have bugs in it and viruses and he didnt find a antibug&virus software to clean his brain software on time and there he goes...pls note he only killed himself but he didnt choose to kill any other human being which is to be remembered and respected. i wish u well in the afterlife and peace upon u dearest country pal

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