By P.K. Balachandran, IANS
Colombo : Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom narrowly escaped a knife attack by a young man Tuesday while he was touring Huvarafushi, one of the northern-most atolls in the island 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,” Mohamad Shareef, the presidential spokesman, told IANS over phone.
“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 alright,” Shareef 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. Later, he was identified as Muhamed Murshid of Kinaaraa.
“We are tying to ascertain if the man caught was acting on his own or he represented some other forces,” Shareef said.
The boy Scout, who has been identified as Mohammad Jaisham, was severely injured. He was flown to Male for treatment.
Gayoom has been the longest serving president of the Maldives, a Muslim nation of over a thousand small islands in the Indian Ocean, which depends entirely on tourism for its revenue.
For the last few years, Gayoom has been facing opposition to his rule, which his detractors say is “dictatorial”.
The president, however, had promised a more democratic constitution and had appointed a committee to draft a constitution.