Alleged serial mosque vandal jailed pending trial’s end

A young man accused of repeatedly vandalizing mosques in the greater Male’ area has been jailed pending the outcome of his trial.

Naushad Moosa, 32, G. Male’ Hiyaa, was arrested on September 11 on allegations of vandalizing mosques. He was initially remanded in police custody for 15 days, but was ordered to jail pending the outcome of his trial when presented before the Criminal Court for an extension of his remand on Friday.

The court made the decision citing sufficient evidence against him, including the statement of the police officer who attended to the scene, the incident report, a letter sent to the Male’ City Council, and a set of photos of the clothes he was wearing at the time of his arrest.

The court also cited his prior arrest and detention records, showing a history of similar crimes as well as other crimes.

The court cited high likelihood of re-offending if he was released back into society.

Naushad had also been arrested back in 2024 on suspicion of desecrating copies of the Holy Quran and vandalizing the Masjid al-Furqan in Male’ City.

The Maldives Penal Code classifies vandalism of mosques and other places of worship as a Class 5 felony, punishable with a mandatory sentence of nine months and 18 days in prison. However, the judge reserves the right to sentence such offenders to over two years in prison, based on the severity of the damage.