The former president of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, 53, was injured in an explosion on Thursday as he entered a vehicle outside his residence in the capital, Male, police said. Images circulating on social media showed blood, debris, and a mangled motorbike following the blast.
The hospital where Mohamed Nasheed is being treated said on Friday that he underwent multiple successful surgeries since he was brought to the hospital. "He is still due to undergo one more essential procedure," the hospital said, without offering further details.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a close ally of Nasheed, condemned the incident as an 'attack on democracy' in a televised address early Friday. Solih said that Australian Federal Police would arrive Saturday to assist in the investigation. "We are treating this matter with utmost seriousness and the investigation is currently underway," Solih was quoted as saying.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which also wounded Nasheed's driver, a member of his security and several bystanders, the presidency said.
The police are investigating the attack, considering it as an act of terrorism and have appealed to any potential witnesses to come forward with information.
Mohamed Nasheed profile
Mohamed Nasheed served as a parliamentary speaker since 2019.
Nasheed is one of the founders of the Maldivian Democratic Party.
He became the first democratically elected leader in 2008, turning three decades of autocratic rule.
In the 1990s he was imprisoned in the Maldives for his work as a journalist.
Nasheed has fought against what observers say is a rising tide of religious extremism in the Maldives.
