By DPA
Colombo : Eleven suspects, including two foreigners, have been arrested in connection with Saturday’s bomb explosion in the Maldivian capital city Male, which injured 12 people, a spokeswoman for the Maldivian government said Monday.
Spokesperson Nora Ali in Male told DPA by telephone that the 11 suspects were arrested based on forensic evidence available from the investigation into the explosion at Sultan Park, which injured eight Chinese, two Britons and two Japanese.
She said the police have not yet disclosed the nationality of the two foreigners arrested, but all of them were being questioned.
Ali said the suspects in custody did not belong to any group or organisation.
But President Abdul Gayoom, soon after the blast, said that those who called for a boycott by tourists of Maldives “should share some responsibility” for the incident.
Only the Britain-based Friends of Maldives (FOM) human rights organisation has called for the Maldives’ boycott by tourists, but it has denied any involvement in the explosion. It explained it has only called on tourists not to travel to 15 of the 90 resorts owned by those connected with the Maldivian government due to what it called a poor human rights record.
The Maldivian government spokesman said an American FBI regional representative based in New Delhi had arrived in Male to assist in the investigations.
In Colombo, the US embassy in a statement said it was “shocked and saddened” to learn about the bombing and condemned the incident, which it called a “senseless act of violence”.
The Maldivian government spokesman, Ms Nora Ali, said the incident has so far had no impact on tourism and there had been no cancellations of reservations by tourists.
“This is an isolated incident and there is no reason to panic. Tourists here are safe and their families need not worry,” she said.
Sultan Park adjoins Male’s main mosque, and is visited by tour groups. It is close to the Maldives army headquarters.
The small explosion, the first of its kind in the Maldives, was said to have been triggered by an improvised device involving a mobile phone, a motor and a gas cylinder.
The Maldives in the Indian Ocean is a popular tourist destination, drawing more than 500,000 tourists per year, and earns foreign exchange worth up to $1 billion annually.