The Criminal Court has extended the remand of a Maldivian man for an additional 15 days in a terrorism-related case involving public incitement to set fire to buildings and sea vessels.
The suspect, identified as Ali Juman, was initially remanded for 12 days after he was arrested in late October. Yesterday, the court ordered his detention extended until November 19, determining that his release would pose an ongoing threat to public safety.
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Juman was initially arrested on October 22 under a court warrant following social media posts from an account that repeatedly urged people to set fire to several locations in Malé, government buildings, and vessels docked in the harbour.
In a post published on X, the suspect urged the public to stage protests, cause unrest, and set fire to buildings and sea vessels.
The post also incited the looting of Redwave, a retail outlet owned by Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Eydhafushi MP Ahmed Saleem. According to the Criminal Court remand warrant, police are investigating Juman on terrorism charges.
The court granted the 15-day extension after reviewing an official police statement, an investigative request with accompanying documentation submitted by an interested party, and online posts linked to the account.
In a separate case, former MNDF First Lieutenant and former Deputy Minister Zihan Hassan was also remanded for an additional 15 days in late October, on charges of calling for arson attacks against the President’s Office, the People’s Majlis, and the Supreme Court.
Zihan published a social media post questioning why the buildings housing the three branches of State power were not being set on fire, then deleted it about an hour later.
Police investigations into the cases remain ongoing.
