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Maldives authorities free Bangladeshis held in bomb investigation

COLOMBO (Thomson Financial) - The authorities in the Maldives have released four Bangladeshis and a local man arrested following a bomb attack that wounded 12 foreign tourists in the capital, Male, the police said Sunday.

'The investigations carried out so far did not reveal that they were involved in this explosion. Eleven suspects are still in police custody,' police spokesman Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said.

'There are no expatriates among the 11 currently under our custody,' Shiyam said.

He said three of those in detention have confessed to their involvement in the Sept 29 attack.

The blast at Sultan Park, a favorite stop for foreigners and locals in Male, wounded a British couple, two Japanese and eight Chinese.

The police said the homemade bomb was activated by a cellphone and packed with two gas canisters and nails. It was the first such attack in the island nation.

Shiyam said the the police are still on the lookout for two Maldivians. Officers from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation are also assisting the investigation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz told reporters in Male that it is still to early to say if those arrested are linked to Islamic extremist or foreign terrorist organizations.

'We are still on the lookout for two more suspects,' Riyaz said. 'It is still too early to comment as the investigation is not complete.'

The Maldives attracts around 600,000 tourists each year and the leisure sector is a key driver of the economy.

About 700 km southwest of Sri Lanka, the Maldives is made up 1,192 coral islands and is one of the richest nations in South Asia, with a per-capita income of 2,674 US dollars.

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This post was written by: Franklin Manuel

Franklin Manuel is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter