President Abdulla Yameen has declared a 30 day state of emergency in Maldives, giving security forces broad powers to arrest and detain suspects.
The state of emergency comes on the heels of a planned protest by opposition in Maldives. The Presidential spokesman, while announcing the decision, cited that it was in a bid to ensure safety of the people after claims that a bomb was found near the President’s official residence.
The Vice President, Ahmed Adeeb, has been arrested on allegations of being part of a plot to assassinate the President after an explosive hit a boat he was travelling in last month.
The planned anti-government protest was organized by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the country’s main opposition party whose leader, Mohamed Nasheed, was arrested and jailed in March.