The government of Maldives on Sunday officially publicised the report compiled by the Presidential Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances, on the murder of former Ungoofaaru MP and religious scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.
The report was released along with a statement from the President's Office, and a summary was presented at the parliament sitting held the same day.
According to the commission's report, the assassination was ordered by a terrorist organisation rooted in Maldives, headed by Mohamed Mazeedh and Saamith Mohamed, while Azlif Rauf was in charge of orchestrating the murder itself.
Mazeedh and Saamith are part of the organisation implicated in the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan who went missing in 2014.
Hussain Humam was convicted of the murder, with the Supreme Court maintaining the ruling. However, the commission's investigation maintains that Ali Shan, an initial suspect who was acquitted, may have participated in carrying out the killing as well. The report also noted that a minor and other individuals were known to be involved in the crime.
Despite mounting evidence, the commission stated that conducting further investigations would be difficult as the individuals have fled Maldives, reportedly to join ongoing conflicts taking place on foreign soil. The commission noted that on the day following the religious scholar's murder, nine individuals departed from Velana International Airport (VIA), transiting in Qatar before continuing to Sudan and Syria. The report disclosed that the two individuals suspected of attacking Afrasheem at a mosque, Jadullah Ibrahim and Mohamed Nishan, were among those who fled.
Per the report, the aforementioned individuals were trained by the terrorist organisation run by Mazeedh and Saamith, and had carried out activities in the capital city of Male'.
Dr Afrasheem Ali who was discovered stabbed to death in the stairwell of his home in the early hours of October 1, 2012
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