Ameen Receives 27-Year Prison Sentence for Terrorism Charges

Mohamed Ameen, Kuriyya Villa, Maadhadu, Fuvahmulah City, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Criminal Court for his involvement with the Islamic State terror group in the Maldives.

The court found Ameen guilty on charges related to his alleged leadership and participation in terrorist activities, including recruiting individuals to fight in Syria’s civil conflict and purportedly conspiring to recruit Maldivians for the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan.

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During the trial presided over by Judge Ali Adam, evidence supporting Ameen’s involvement in various activities was presented, including his role as the leader of the IS in the Maldives, and the propagation of a specific religious ideology. He was accused of sending a Maldivian to operate as the leader of ISIS-K’s Maldivian cell in Afghanistan.

Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the proceedings, Ameen was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison for his affiliation with a terrorist organisation and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. Notably, the court considered the four years Ameen spent in custody during the case as time served, resulting in a remaining sentence of 23 years.

Previously suspected of involvement in the Sultan’s Park bombing in 2007, which injured multiple tourists, Ameen had fled the country, leading to an Interpol red notice against him. He was located in neighbouring Sri Lanka in 2012 but was released by the Maldivian court after two months of detention.

Highlighted by the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as a senior operative of IS, Ameen holds the distinction of being the first Maldivian national named on the OFAC’s terror list. 

The US alleges his direct involvement in leading IS recruitment in the Maldives and aiding the IS branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan through financial, logistical, and technological support.