Stabbing victim Ahmed Aseel – 19-years-old – attacked in Malé last week, has died as a result of his injuries.
It was reported on Thursday that doctors had removed his right leg in an attempt to save his life after he was stabbed six times, though family members had said he remained on a ventilator in the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital.
Aseel was attacked near Iskandhar School in the Machangolhi ward of the the capital on August 23 along with two others – aged 20 and 13-years-old – whose injuries were not critical.
Eyewitnesses said a group of masked men stabbed the two men in the back and struck the minor on the head before fleeing on motorbikes.
Aseel’s death marks the third stabbing fatality in the country in the past month. An incident in Kaafu Thulusdhoo – reported to have been the result of a personal quarrel – was soon followed by a spate spate of violent assaults in Malé earlier this month.
These attacks also saw 18-year-old Mohamed Mazin, from Dhiggaamaage in Noonu Miladhoo, fatally stabbed on August 2. Police intelligence later suggested the assaults were gang reprisals sparked by “a disturbance between two groups.”
Police have confiscated a number of weapons from areas where gangs congregate, including the Henveiru Park area where Mazin was attacked, as well as making a number of arrests in relation to the various attacks.
A resident of the area in Aseel was attacked told Minivan News that two knives and an axe were found near the staircase of their house after the attacks.
The weapons appeared to be unused and were taken as evidence by the police, who are today reported by local media to have arrested two 18-year-olds in connection with the case.
On August 13, police began dismantling huts and clearing out makeshift dens in open spaces in the capital used exclusively by gangs.
Fifteen journalists reported receiving death threats in relation to their outlets’ coverage of the capital’s notorious gang problems.
Broadcasting authorities have noted significant media intimidation from gangs, while local media recently released a joint statement calling upon authorities to take action.
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