Maldives vice president arrested on ‘treason’ charges

Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was arrested Saturday in relation to an assassination attempt on President Abdulla Yameen last month.

Police officials confirmed that Adeeb was arrested after returning from Singapore, with the Home Minister describing the charge as “high treason”.

The Sept. 28 blast aboard the president’s official yacht left President Abdulla Yameen unharmed, although his wife sustained spine injuries. 

Government officials had initially suggested the incident was due to mechanical failure, but later said it was caused by a bomb.

Rumors regarding Adeeb’s involvement had spread around the small island, forcing him to hold a press conference on Oct. 7 to deny the charges, prior to leaving for official government business in China.

The incident quickly prompted a reshuffle of the president’s personal security detail.

Defense Minister Moosa Ali Jaleel was dismissed on Oct. 13 and Adeeb was stripped of his role on the cabinet’s economic council earlier this week.

Social media users described Adeeb’s flight back home as the most anticipated in the country’s history.

Leaked reports from the airport were soon followed by confirmation from Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer, who tweeted that the vice president had been arrested and transported to the island’s detention center.

Adeeb’s swift downfall, after becoming the country’s youngest vice president in June, comes after an equally-rapid rise to power, having first joined the government as tourism minister in 2012.