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USD 3 million was funded for the May 6 terror attack: MDP

The May 6 Inquiry Committee, formed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has revealed USD 3 million was funded for the May 6 terrorist attack against Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking at an MDP national congress meeting, Chairperson of the committee Hassan Afeef said Parliamentarian Ilyas Labeeb received information, three days before the attack, from an associate that an initial payment has been made to assassinate the parliament speaker. Afeef said Parliamentarian Labeeb had informed Nasheed prior to the attack, and that the speaker had advised him to inform Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi about the imminent threat. Labeeb heeded the speaker's advice and informed the defence minister of the planned attack.

Furthermore, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services had questioned Labeeb and numerous other state officials and military and police officers as part of its inquiry on the attack.

Speaker Nasheed was severely injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a motorcycle near his residence in Male' City was triggered while he was getting into his car on the night of May 6. The speaker underwent several life-saving surgeries for his injuries, before departing to Germany for advanced treatment. The speaker has since travelled to the UK after completing his treatment in Germany,

Maldives Police Service (MPS) has arrested five suspects in relation to the attack, including the individual who allegedly detonated the IED and the owner of the motorcycle to which the device was attached.