Turkish man's detention extended for smuggling gun parts

Criminal Court has allowed extra 10 days of detention for the Turkish national arrested for smuggling parts of a gun to the Maldives.

The man arrived in the Maldives on a Turkish oil tanker. The gun components were found on the individual after the crewmen of the tanker were searched at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), moments before they were scheduled to depart from the Maldives.

The suspect was taken into custody for questioning regarding his motive for carrying the components into the country, said the police. The gun parts were confiscated by the Maldives National Defence Force.

Ownership of private firearms is prohibited in the Maldives.