Male: Maldivian police have reportedly detained 14 people on suspicion of conspiring with foreign Islamic extremists to bomb the small archipelago state.
Uswat Ahmed, the head of the country's counter-terrorism effort, told reporters on Monday night that the suspects were collaborating with the Islamic State organization and appeared to be planning a massive attack. He didn't say anything further.
According to him, 13 houses were searched in three different parts of the country last Friday as part of the arrest of the suspects.
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Although the Maldives is famous for its immaculate beaches and lavish island resorts, there has been a rise in religious extremism recently. The 500,000-person Sunni Muslim nation had the highest proportion of civilians fighting in other countries.
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Mohamed Nasheed, the country's former leader and current Speaker of the House, was seriously injured in a bike bomb blast near his home last year. Nasheed is a well-known liberal politician who supports the West.
