Muaz produced before Criminal Court and remanded after police allege he attempted to assault Mayor Azim

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to attack Male' City Mayor Adam Azim during a protest held by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Friday night.

The Criminal Court on Monday heard the assault‑related charges after Abdullah Muaz, 35, of G. Eerie, Male' City, was produced before the court.

According to the court order, police submitted that Muaz had attempted to assault Azim during the MDP protest.

Muaz told the court that he had approached the mayor to speak to him and was assaulted by protesters. The order noted that Muaz has a prior record of arrest and detention.

The Criminal Court ruled that releasing him could endanger public safety and ordered him to be remanded in custody for 15 days.

The MDP protest was broadcast live on television. Video footage shows Azim walking when a man approaches him. While the man can be seen pushing Azim, the footage also shows protesters immediately pushing the alleged attacker backwards and moving the Mayor out of the way.

????#Breaking: Malé City ge Mayor @adamazim ah MDP muzaaharaa therein hamalaa dheyn ulhefi!

Ithuru mauloomaathu: https://t.co/AZaA8bEQob pic.twitter.com/0j3ZmNN4QH

— #MvCrisis (@MvCrisis) April 24, 2026

In an interview with a newspaper on Friday night, Azim alleged that the government had premeditated the attack. He condemned the incident.

The government denied Azim’s allegation. Government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said he did not know on what evidence the mayor based his claim. “It is absolutely false and it is very shameful to make such allegations,” he said.

Mundhu also said neither the MDP nor the city council had reported the incident to police for several hours. However, he said the government initiated an investigation after seeing the video circulating on social media.