A 35 year old man has been remanded in custody for 15 days for allegedly assaulting Male' City Mayor Adam Azim during a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally.

Abdullah Muaz, G. Eerie, who has past criminal records was arrested in connection with the incident, according to a Criminal Court order. 

Police said he was detained on suspicion of attacking the Mayor during the rally. However, Muaz told the remand hearing he had approached Azim to speak with him and was subsequently beaten by protesters.

The incident occurred near the Henveiru cemetery during an opposition MDP rally in Male' last Friday night. Video footage shows a man pushing Azim as the event was being broadcast live.

Azim later blamed the government for the attack. In response, the President’s Office Chief Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said the government had no involvement.

In a statement, the President’s Office said President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had viewed footage of the incident and strongly condemned the attempted attack.

It also noted that neither the MDP nor the Male' City Council had formally reported the case to police, but said authorities had nonetheless initiated an investigation.