Police in the Maldives said on Saturday that "
religious extremists
" had organized the attempted assassination of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who was released from intensive care.
Two men have been arrested for the bombing of the capital Malé on Thursday against Mr Nasheed, 53, who was the first democratically elected president of the South Asian island state of Maldives and is currently president of Parliament.
"
The investigation has so far suggested a link between the attack and religious extremists,
" Commissioner Mohamed Hameed told reporters.
The owner of the motorcycle bomb to which the bomb was attached, which was parked next to Mr Nasheed's car, and a second man were arrested, he said.
Police released the photo of a third person who was seen at the scene just before the explosion, which also injured two Maldivians and a Briton.
The archipelago, a luxury tourist destination, has requested international assistance to investigate the attack.
This has not been claimed, but officials of the Democratic Party of Maldives (MDP) led by Mr. Nasheed believed that "
religious extremists
" and political interests could be involved.
The majority of the inhabitants of the archipelago are Muslims.
In October 2019, the police arrested a suspect accused of recruiting dozens of residents of the Maldives on behalf of the jihadist group Islamic State and sending them to Syria at war.
The same man was accused of setting off a homemade bomb that injured 12 Chinese tourists in Malé in September 2007.
According to Commissioner Hameed, two members of the Australian Federal Police joined investigators on Saturday.
A British police official and two members of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime were also to assist investigators.
Mr Nesheed, 53, underwent 16 hours of surgeries to remove shards of the blast from his abdomen and limbs.
Doctors said he was no longer in intensive care on Saturday but remained in intensive care.
Mr. Nasheed, who holds the second highest post in the state hierarchy, spoke to his family, telling them he was feeling “
much better,
” his sister Nashida Sattar said.
“
The doctors are very happy with the progress,
” added his brother, Ibrahim Nasheed.
“
He's no longer on life support, he's breathing on his own.
I was able to exchange a few words with him
”.
The shards of the bomb, designed to inflict maximum damage, damaged the lungs and liver of the former president, doctors said.
A homemade bomb was used, the military said in its first report on the assassination attempt. "
The explosive device was triggered using a remote control,
" said an army official to the press in Malé. The bomb was attached to a motorcycle parked near Mr. Nasheed's car.
