Police begin operation in Himandhoo to find missing bomb blast suspects ~ Make My Trip Advisor

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Minggu, 07 Oktober 2007

Police begin operation in Himandhoo to find missing bomb blast suspects

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| DATE: 2007-10-07 |

MALE, October 7, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) -- Police yesterday arrived in North Ari atoll Himandhoo island to search for missing clues linked to the bombing of the Sultan Park which injured 12 foreign tourists.

A special operation was started yesterday to locate missing suspects as well as close down an illegal mosque set up by some residents who were of the view that the official mosque had an imam who was blaspheming against the Sunnah, the sayings and actions of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).

A youngster with the group which set up the illegal mosque and called for a boycott of the government-built official mosque told Haveeru that at this time if Police again tried to shut down their mosque, there will be a confrontation. He did not elaborate on the kind of confrontation between Police and residents of Himandhoo.

Earlier, too, the government shut down an illegal mosque built on private property, and that incident resulted in confrontation between Police and Himandhoo residents.

The youngster said that this time if Police tries to shut down the private mosque, Himandhoo residents “will stand till the last person.\"

\"If they don\'t shut down the mosque, we will be willing to cooperate and help the Police locate missing clues and suspects,” he said.

Last year, on Fitr Eid festival, which immediately follows after the fasting month of Ramadan, Police forcibly shut down a private mosque in the island and arrested 25 people. Maldivian law prohibits anyone from creating sectarian conflict and violence.

A youngster told Haveeru over telephone that around 100 people pray in the illegal mosque and that the group were now there to protect the place from being torn down by Police.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abdulla Riyaz, yesterday said that the Police had been forced to conduct the special operation on the island and promised to take prompt legal action against persons found to flaunt the law.

Riyaz said that Police were now active in Himandhoo searching for missing suspects linked to the Sultan Park bombing, and gather information for some criminal cases that are pending.

The two most-wanted persons by Police at this time have been identified as Ali Shameem, 25, from Dhoores in Shaviyani atoll Komandoo, and Abdul Latheef Ibrahim, 24, from Green Villa in Laamu atoll Kalhaidhoo.

A man confessed to starting a fire and throwing himself into it to avoid suspicion in some of the unusual incidents in Himandhoo last year.

Following that, a Himandhoo official was found dead on the reef at the height of animosity between residents and Police.

Police at the time took in three suspects but let all of them go for lack of evidence.

Due to disruptions in mobile coverage, getting fresh and updated reports from Himandhoo, was not possible at the time of going to print.