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FBI Assists With Maldives Blast Probe

By RAVI NESSMAN – 3 days ago

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — U.S. authorities have sent FBI agents to the Maldives to aid with the investigation into a weekend bombing that injured 12 foreign tourists, U.S. officials said Monday.

The nail-packed bomb exploded outside a crowded park in the Maldives capital, Male, on Saturday. It was the first such attack reported on the Indian Ocean archipelago renowned for its exclusive tourist resorts.

"We condemn without reservation this senseless act of violence," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

The U.S. government sent the FBI regional representative to assist with the investigation, the statement said without providing details of the aid provided.

"We don't want to reveal too much in this early stage of the investigation," Embassy spokeswoman Kathy Fox said.

Maldives authorities arrested seven local men in connection with the blast, but have not given details of their role in the attack or their motive.

Government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said Sunday that authorities were still searching for other suspects.

A British couple, eight Chinese and two Japanese tourists suffered burns from in the blast. The Chinese and Japanese tourists were discharged from hospital and left the country, local officials said.

The Britons remained hospitalized, but were expected to be released Tuesday, said an official from the British Embassy, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"Their injuries are serious, but they are not life threatening. Basically they are doing well at the moment," he said.

Some Western diplomats have expressed concern about the potential for violence in the Sunni Muslim country. Half the population is under 18, reasonably well-educated and with few prospects for good jobs. Some young people have turned to drug use, while others have embraced a conservative strain of Islam that had been virtually unheard of on the islands just a few years ago.

In recent years, there has been tension and occasional outbreaks of violence between opposition activists and government forces controlled by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has ruled the country for 29 years.

The Maldives, with a population of about 350,000, is by far the wealthiest and most orderly country in south Asia. About 600,000 tourists visit the country each year, accounting for one-third of its economy.

This post was written by: Franklin Manuel

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