Police foil mass casualty terror plot; 14 arrested

Maldives police have arrested 14 people in an ongoing counter-terror operation, foiling a plot to carry out a mass casualty terror attack using explosives.

In a press conference Monday, Head of Terrorism and Violent Extremism Unit, Inspector of Police Uswath Ahmed said the suspects were arrested in a counter-terror operation launched in response to intel regarding a plot by Islamic State (IS)-sympathizers in Addu to carry out a terror attack.

“They were planning to carry out a mass casualty terror attack using explosives in Maldives,” she said.

 Uswath identified the 14 suspects arrested in the operation as local males.

10 of the suspects were arrested from Addu, two were arrested from Male’ City, and two more from K. Guraidhoo.

According to Uswath, all 14 suspects are originally from Addu, and nine of them have prior arrest records.

Police also searched 15 properties in the operation; 11 properties in Addu and four in Male’.

“Evidence related to the case was found during the searches,” said Uswath.