Six Maldivian ISIS recruits arrested

by Rukshana Rizwie

Six Maldivian ISIS recruits who had attempted to migrate to the Middle East were arrested in Sri Lanka in the past 18 months and sent back to the Maldives, High Commissioner for the Maldives Zahiya Zareer said.

“The last person with credible links to the ISIS terrorist outfit was apprehended two or three months ago”, she said.

Foreign Secretary Ali Nazeer defended his country’s reputation which has been tainted by claims by former President Mohamed Nasheed that the country is a fertile ground for extremists due to the current government’s tacit support.

“We do refer to them (ISIS) as a terrorist organisation. They have nothing to do with Islam, “ he said.

Former President Nasheed warned that up to 200 Maldivians were fighting for ISIS in Iraq and Syria. A US State Department terrorism report found that there were links between Maldivian and violent extremists.