By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Maldivian President Moumoon Gayoom narrowly escaped a knife attack by an unidentified man Tuesday while he was touring Hoarafushi, one of the northern most atolls in his country.
“The president was saved by the extraordinary presence of mind and bravery of a 15-year-old boy scout who pounced on the attacker, wrestled with him and grabbed his knife. It was a very narrow escape,” presidential spokesman Mohamad Sharif told IANS over the telephone from Male.
“The president had stepped back on seeing the assailant lunge at him. The knife just grazed his shirt. The president was not injured. In fact, he announced that he was perfectly all right,” Sharif said.
“The president’s son, Faris, who was standing close by, also grappled with the attacker,” the spokesman said.
The crowd gabbed the 20-year-old assailant and was about to lynch him when the police intervened and whisked him away.
“We are tying to ascertain if the man was acting on his own or if he represented some other forces,” Sharif said.
The scout, identified as Mohammad Jaisham, was badly injured. He was flown to Male for treatment.
Gayoom has been the longest serving president of the Maldives, a Muslim nation of hundreds of small islands in the Indian Ocean that depends entirely on tourism.
For the last few years, Gayoom has been facing opposition to his rule, which his detractors say is “dictatorial”.
The president has promised a more democratic constitution and appointed a panel to draft a constitution.