Criminal Court Sentences ISIS Supporter to 23 Years in Prison

A Maldivian man convicted on terrorism-related charges has been sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison, following an investigation involving local police and international partners.

Hood Mohamed Zahir was found guilty of three offences linked to terrorism. The court sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment for being a member of a terrorist organisation, five years for supporting a terrorist group, and a further three years for possessing documents, drawings or photographs indicating support for a terrorist organisation. The sentences amount to 23 years in custody.

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Hood was arrested in 2022 during an anti-terrorism operation carried out by Maldives Police Service in Vilimale’. The operation was conducted in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and several European agencies, authorities said.

Prosecutors told the court that Hood was an active supporter of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), accusing him of inciting attacks that could endanger the lives of European leaders. Investigators said he had used multiple aliases to create social media accounts from around 2015 onwards, through which he allegedly promoted propaganda and expressed support for the extremist group.

Following his arrest, Hood remained in custody until December last year, when he was released by the Criminal Court. That decision was overturned in January by the High Court, and he was returned to detention pending the outcome of the case.

Hood had previously been among six individuals arrested in connection with the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Villimale’ in 2010. He was charged in that case, but the allegations were not proven in court and he was not convicted.