Commissioner of Police (CP) Mohamed Hameed revealed on Monday that in 2017, a Maldivian based in Syria was leading an attempt to detonate an aerial bomb in Maldives, supported by Islamic State (IS).
Speaking at the 'Viyavathi Raaje' Councillor Conference currently ongoing at Crossroads, CP Hameed disclosed that the IED was made by locals in Male', having received instructions from the terrorist organization.
However, he stated that the threat was neutralized by a special operation carried out in a joint effort between Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
According to the commissioner, five other countries were a part of the operation.
"In 2017, this was the largest counter-terrorism, intelligence and investigative operation run in the world", CP Hameed said.
No further information was relayed about the operation.
The commissioner revealed this information in a bid to convince councillors in attendance that Maldives is amongst one of the leading nations in thwarting extremist attacks and terrorism.
CP Hameed assured that the authorities were ready to tackle the issues arising from extremist ideologies, citing the recent amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act as an example.
Moreover, the commissioner stated that authorities were aware of the current situation of extremism in the country and had statistics on those involved.
He disclosed that efforts were currently underway to take necessary legal action against perpetrators.
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