Three Maldivians en route to join the fighting in Syria were arrested in Turkey and brought back to the country on Saturday.
According to the police, the three men were arrested in a joint operation with the Turkish law enforcement authorities. They were alleged to have been planning to cross the border into Syria to join a militant group.
The police declined to reveal their identities or any further information.
The criminal court in Malé remanded the suspects to police custody for 15 days upon their arrival in the Maldives.
In late August, the criminal court concluded the trial of the first suspects prosecuted for travelling abroad with the intent of joining a terror group after it was criminalised by the 2015 Anti-Terrorism Act.
The three Maldivian men were charged with terrorism following their arrest from the Turkey-Syria border in February 2016. A Maldivian man who attempted to cross into Syria was also arrested and repatriated in February this year. Two others who allegedly fought with militant groups in Pakistan are also standing trial.
More recently, two Maldivian men with links to the Islamic State terror group were arrested in Malaysia. They were accused of “using Malaysia and Singapore as a transit point before heading to Syria to join IS.”
According to local media, the two men were freed after they were brought back to the Maldives.
Full details are available from the link below:
