The government of the Maldives has condemned a bomb blast that has injured 12 foreign tourists.
The blast occurred near a park in the capital, Male.
Two British nationals are in a stable condition with extensive burns while eight Chinese and two Japanese tourists have been treated for minor injuries.
A government spokesman, Mohammed Sharif says the attack is unprecedented.
"We will look into all avenues, rest assured, because we really don't want anything of this sort ever to happen in the Maldives again," he said.
"This is something that really could jeopardise the economy and anyway the lives and the well being of our visitors is something that we take very seriously.
"I mean locals here are really warm towards tourists and there's general outrage publicly as well when they heard about this."
Maldives: Blast Came From Homemade Bomb
September 29, 2007 22 07 GMT Stratfor
An explosion that wounded 12 in Male, Maldives on Sept. 29 came from a homemade bomb, the Maldivian government said. The device detonated at the entrance to Sultan Park, a tourist destination. Those injured are all foreign nationals, including two British, two Japanese and eight Chinese nationals. Police have arrested two suspects, but no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
British honeymooners seriously injured as washing machine bombers bring terror to Maldives
by STEPHANIE CONDRON - Last updated at 09:16am on 30th September 2007 A British couple were seriously injured yesterday in a bomb attack in the Maldives. Christian and Jennifer Donelan were believed to have been on honeymoon.
The home-made device - a washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder and filled with nails - exploded in a park outside a mosque in the capital, Male.
Mr and Mrs Donelan, who live in Qatar, were among 12 tourists were injured, including eight Chinese and two Japanese. All were treated in hospital for burns.
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Deadly: Some of the components used in the bomb which exploded in the Maldives capital, Male, injuring British honeymooners Christian and Jennifer Donelan
Mr Donelan, originally from Rotherham, is a keen sportsman and has played hockey for the town's main club, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
He has undergone surgery to treat burns to his arms and legs.
His wife, whose maiden name is Green, suffered more serious burns but both are conscious and able to speak to friends and family by phone.
Mr Donelan's friend Tim Bulleyment told the newspaper: "Christian sounded really rough but he said he was lucky to be alive."
The couple, both thought to be aged in their 30s, married in Italy just two weeks ago before their honeymoon in the Maldives, it was reported.
They had been coming to the end of their holiday when the device exploded near a park in Male, which is on a separate island from Baros where they had been staying.
Local police did not immediately know who had planted the bomb. It is the first time tourists have been injured by a bomb in the group of islands in the Indian Ocean.
It exploded in Sultan Park at around 2.30pm local time. Police appealed to members of the public to send in any photographs or video footage of the attack. The park was packed with tourists at the time.
Witnesses reported seeing nails scattered in the park before the area was cleared by security forces.
A government spokesman commented last night: "We are taking this very seriously."
A tourist guide said: "After showing the tourists the museum inside the park, we had just reached the gate when I heard a mobile phone ring followed by a loud explosion.
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Investigators pinpoint evidence (above and below) after the blast outside the entrance to the park in Male
"When I looked back I saw that one of the tourist's legs was on fire. I immediately told the tourist to strip. By that time the skin on his leg was burned.
"Shrapnel, possibly nails, from the bomb struck the tourists, wounding them. Half the hair on the head of one of the guests was completely burned off. The hands were also bleeding from several wounds."
A broken phone, a timer and some masonry nails were recovered.
Eight of the injured were admitted to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and four, including the British couple, went to a private hospital called ADK Enterprise.
Ahmed Afaal, the managing director of ADK, said: "They were in shock and in a lot of pain. I condemn this act. It is bizarre and shocking."
Dr Ahmed Shaheed, former foreign minister for the Maldives, said: "This explosion seems to have been targeted at tourists. I have no idea who did it. The mood is one of shock and dismay but things are calm."
Some 600,000 tourists, including thousands from the UK, visit the idyllic islands each year.
Tourists normally stay on resorts away from the capital but usually pass through Male to get there.
The threat of terrorism is classed as "low" in Foreign Office advice to tourists but some Western diplomats have expressed concern about the potential for violence in the Sunni Muslim country.
A representative from the British High Commission in Sri Lanka is expected to arrive in Male today.
Maldives Home Minister Abdulla Kamaluddin said: "This was a cowardly terrorist attack and something which should never have happened in the Maldives."
He refused to speculate on the target of the bombing - despite all the injured being tourists.
In an interview with local television, the minister said it was too early so say who could be behind it.
But he added: "The attack was planned and executed using materials gathered in the Maldives."
A statement from the Maldives government condemned the attack as an inhuman and degrading act.
It said: "The Maldivian authorities will pursue the culprits and attempt to bring them to justice and give them the harshest punishment within the law."
The Maldives constitution allows for capital punishment in the case of acts against the state.
Police in the Maldives later said two people had been arrested in connection with the blast.
A spokesman said: "The special investigation team is undergoing a systematic search for the offender with the help of forensic analysis."
Government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said that police arrested the suspects hours after the blast last night but no motive has been established yet.
Maldives arrests - Sky News Australia
Two people have been arrested over a bomb attack in the Maldives which has injured 12 foreign tourists.
In the rare attack in South Asia's top luxury holiday destination, two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese nationals were hurt in the blast.
The Britons suffered serious burns, while the others had minor injuries.
The crude device went off while the tourists were visiting a popular spot on the island of Male.
A mobile phone and nails were found at the scene.
The arrested men, who are locals, are now being questioned.
The Muslim country has a reputation for peace and has not seen violence since 1988.
Explosion injures 12 in Maldives, including 8 Chinese tourists
Source: CCTV.com | 09-30-2007 09:07
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People stand near a mosque in Male September 29, 2007. A homemade bomb exploded near a mosque in the Maldives' capital on Saturday, wounding 12 foreign tourists, the islands' government said.(Reuters)
A bomb has exploded at a park in the Maldives, wounding at least 12 foreign tourists. Police have now launched an investigation.
The homemade bomb exploded outside Sultan Park in the capital, Male, leaving 12 people eight Chinese, two Britons, and two Japanese with burn injuries. The chief government spokesman said it was not immediately known how the bomb was detonated or where it was planted.
The Tourism Minister said the Japanese and Chinese nationals have been treated for minor injuries and discharged from the hospital. He said the two Britons sustained significant burns but were stable and out of danger.
2 arrested after explosion in Maldives
www.chinaview.cn  2007-09-30 11:52:01 | |
2 arrested after explosion in Maldives
COLOMBO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Two persons have been arrested in connection with the explosion in the Maldivian capital of Male Saturday afternoon which injured 12 foreign tourists, said the Maldivian government on Sunday.
A spokeswoman from the Ministry of Information also said that 10 of the 12 tourists have been released from hospitals, but two British nationals are still in hospital.
More than 60,000 tourists visit Maldives each year, generating about one-third of the country's total income.
Explosion injures 12 in Maldives
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| Police officers investigate the site of a bomb explosion at the Sultan Park in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007. A homemade bomb exploded Saturday outside a crowded city park in the Maldives, wounding 12 foreign tourists. (Xinhua Photo) |
COLOMBO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Twelve foreign tourists, including eight Chinese nationals were injured in an explosion in the Maldivian capital of Male Saturday afternoon, the Maldivian government said.
Mohamed H. Shareef, the chief government spokesman, told Xinhua from Male by phone that among the injured eight are Chinese nationals, two are Japanese, two are British nationals.Police cordon off blacksmith shop; case suspected to be linked with Sultan Park bombing
| DATE: 2007-09-29 HNS
MALE, September 29, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) -- Police tonight have cordoned off an area containing a blac
ksmith shop on Bodu Rasgefaanu Magu (street) in the capital Male.It was immediately not clear why the police are investigating the blacksmith’s, but sources said that it might be linked to the bomb explosion at the Sultan Park in Male today in which some foreign tourists were injured.
Haveeru reporters said that they witnessed police take two men into custody from the blacksmith\'s; however, the identities of those arrested are not clear yet.
The blacksmith shop is located at a house called Saraz and police have prevented even reporters from entering the area.
Haveeru reporters at the scene said that they saw a police forensic team enter the blacksmith\'s with briefcases.
Eyewitnesses said that they saw police confiscate some things from the blacksmith’s and took those away in a police jeep.
Explosion injures 12 in Maldives |
| www.chinaview.cn 2007-09-29 22:21:33 |   Print |
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| Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2007 shows an entrance of the Sultan Park in Male, Maldives. A homemade bomb exploded Saturday outside a crowded city park in the Maldives, wounding 12 foreign tourists. (Xinhua Photo) |
Mohamed H. Shareef, the chief government spokesman, told Xinhua from Male by phone that among the injured eight are Chinese nationals, two are Japanese, two are British nationals.
Shareef said the eight Chinese tourists and the two Japanese tourists have been discharged after being treated at hospital, but the two British nationals are still in hospital as they received extensive burnings in the explosion.
He said the explosion happened at about 2:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) in the Sultan Park in the central area of Male and the explosion was caused by a homemade device.
The spokesman said the government has no clues about who is responsible for the explosion.
Shareef said this was the first such explosion in the Maldives for many years and the government will do its best to investigate the incident.
More than 60,000 tourists visit the archipelago each year, generating about one-third of the country's total income. Maldivian president condemns explosion in Male |
| www.chinaview.cn 2007-09-30 10:52:55 | |
COLOMBO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Maldivian President Maumoon AbdulGayoom has strongly condemned the act of detonating an explosive device in the Maldivian capital of Male on Saturday in which 12 foreign tourists were injured, according to local media Sunday.
The president's office said in a statement through its official website that it was the first time that the Maldives had suffered such a terrorist attack.
"During his visit to the foreign nationals injured in the explosion, the president said that this has been a very sad day for the Maldives," said the statement.
Gayoom also said that the people responsible for this act will be found and that they will be punished under law, the statement added.
An homemade device exploded Saturday afternoon in Sultan Park in Male, injuring 12 foreign tourists.
The government said 10 of the injured were released from hospitals after being treated, but the two British nationals were still in hospital.
At least 12 tourists hurt in bomb blast
COLOMBO - A homemade bomb exploded yesterday near a city park in the Maldives, injuring at least 12 foreign tourists. The group included two Britons, eight Chinese, and two Japanese. The afternoon attack occurred in Male, the capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago that is famous for its resorts. Officials are investigating whether the explosion targeted the tourism industry or whether Islamic jihadists were involved. (AP)
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/09/30/at_least_12_tourists_hurt_in_bomb_blast/
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Maldives police have arrested two local men after a nail-packed bomb exploded in a busy park Saturday and wounded 12 foreign tourists, a government spokesman said Sunday.
The homemade bomb exploded outside the crowded Sultan Park in the capital, Male, the first such incident reported in this Indian Ocean archipelago renowned for its exclusive tourist resorts.
Government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said that police arrested the suspects hours after the blast. But no motive has been established yet, and it was unclear whether they would be charged.
"The Maldives has never had something like this before. We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood," Shareef said after the blast on Saturday.
The injured included two Britons, eight Chinese and two Japanese, all of whom suffered burns, Shareef said. All except the British couple, who sustained burns over 40 percent of their bodies, were discharged from hospital and immediately sent home, he said.
Shareef said Saturday was too early to say whether the bomb targeted the tourism industry or determing whether an Islamic jihadist organization was involved.
Some Western diplomats have expressed concern about the potential for violence in this Sunni Muslim country. Half the population is under 18, reasonably well-educated and with few prospects for good jobs. Some young people have turned to drug use, while others have embraced a conservative strain of Islam that had been virtually unheard of on the islands just a few years ago.
Attacks against the tourist trade are virtually unheard of, though there has been tension and occasional outbreaks of violence in recent years between opposition activists and government forces, who are controlled by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has ruled the country for 29 years.
The opposition Minivan News reported on its Web site that witnesses said they saw nails, presumably from the bomb, scattered in the park, which is located near the country's army headquarters.
The Maldives, with a population of about 350,000, is by far the wealthiest — and most orderly — country in south Asia. About 600,000 tourists visit the country each year, accounting for one-third of its economy.
Authorities will seek help from Interpol, the United States and India in investigating the blast, Shareef said.
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Explosion Injures 12 Tourists in Maldives
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 The bomb exploded near the capital’s main mosque located at the entrance of Sultan Park. Two British nationals, eight Chinese and two Japanese sustained injuries when the blast occurred. The Japanese and Chinese citizens were lightly injured and weren’t hospitalized, but the two Britons suffered extensive burns and received supplementary treatment, officials said. No one claimed responsibility for the unprecedented attack. The mosque is visited by large groups of tourists daily and is close to the Maldives Army headquarters. Preliminary reports said the improvised explosive device consisted of a mobile phone and a motor attached to a gas cylinder. A witness reportedly saw some nails scattered after the explosion. The Indian Ocean island nation is a very popular tourist destination, drawing more than 500,000 tourists per year. This is the first incident to shatter the tranquility of the capital since 1998 and the first bomb to go off in the Maldives. For nearly 29 years the island nation has been steered by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who claimed another victory in last month’s referendum for a new constitutional system. Most of the voters chose the presidential system of government in the detriment of a parliamentary one and anchored the leadership of Gayoom. © 2007 - eFluxMedia |
Blast Wounds 12 Foreign Tourists In Maldives
September 29, 2007 12:09 p.m. EST
Male, Maldives (AHN) - At least 12 tourists were wounded in the first ever explosion in Maldives, a small nation of a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, on Saturday.
The wounded have been identified as two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese nationals.
The homemade bomb was detonated at a crowded park besides Maldives' army headquarters, using a mobile phone. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
"The Maldives has never had something like this before. We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood," an official is quoted by BBC as saying. Police have ordered an investigation into the incident.
Tourism is the backbone of Maldives' economy and the country of 330,000 people, mostly Muslims, normally enjoys a peaceful atmosphere.
Malé Explosion Injures Twelve Tourists
By Ajay Makan
September 29, 2007 Minivan News
Twelve tourists have been injured in an explosion in Malé’s Sultan Park, in what appears to be a planned attack on the Maldives Tourism industry.
A small explosion took place at the entrance to the park, near the northern edge of the island at 2.36pm.
Eight Chinese, two Japanese and two British tourists were admitted to hospital for treatment.
The injured Chinese have all since been released, but will return to China on a flight tonight, the Tourism Minister told Minivan News.
The two injured Japanese are a couple. The female has sustained burns, which have now been treated, and she has been released along with her partner, Minister Shaugee said.Two Brits remain in hospital, but are in a stable condition, according to Shaugee. “They have sustained burns to their bodies, and are receiving treatment at ADK [Malé’s private hospital.]”
The British High Commission have been informed of the names of those injured, but the Maldives government has decided not to make their identities public.
A Maldives government statement released at 8pm, condemned an “Inhuman and degrading act.”
“The Maldivian authorities will pursue the culprits and attempt to bring them to justice and give them the harshest punishment within the law,” it read.
The Maldives constitution allows for capital punishment in the case of acts against the state.
Tourism Minister Dr Shaugee meanwhile has called for calm.
“I would like to emphasise it was a small explosive device. News reports of a bomb blast may be misleading people about the magnitude of the incident,” he told Minivan News.
Some local media report the explosion was triggered by a home made device involving a mobile phone and washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder. Witnesses report seeing nails scattered in the park, before the area was cleared by security personnel.
The 100% Muslim Maldives receives over five hundred thousand tourists a year, and the industry is the linchpin of the country’s $1 billion economy.
The Maldives is known as a tranquil island getaway and the capital has not seen explosions or gunfire since an attempted coup in 1988.
The government is refusing to speculate officially on motives for the attack,
But one official told Minivan News, “this looks like an attack by jihadists on our tourism industry.”
He pointed out the explosion had taken place on the seventeenth day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which commemorates the prophet Mohamed's first victory in battle.
In recent years Wahabbi Islam has grown in popularity in the traditionally moderate country. But religious radicals have never threatened terrorism acts.
Tourists were the only people injured in the explosion, adding to the appearance of a deliberate attack on the industry. The device exploded as a large tour group reached the gates to Sultan Park. There were no locals within range of the blast, except those attached to the tour group, who escaped injury.
Tourists to the Maldives must stay on resort islands and relatively few visit the capital. But the Sultan Park, adjacent to Malé’s main mosque, is visited by all tour groups.
The Sultan Park is in the shadow of the Maldives army headquarters, and several surveillance cameras are trained on the area. A fifteen second burst of CCTV footage, apparently showing the blast, was shown on state broadcaster Television Maldives earlier this evening.
Explosion in Sultan Park injures 12 tourists
| DATE: 2007-09-29 HNS
Broken remains of the mobile phone and its timer used for the bomb that was detonated inside the Sultan Park on 29 September 2007. Some of the concrete nails used as shrapnel for the bomb is also seen in the picture. Haveeru Photo: Ali Nishan
29 September 2007 -- The relative peace of the Maldivian capital Male’ was shattered when a small bomb was detonated inside the Sultan Park this afternoon. Twelve tourists were seriously injured in the explosion.
In an interview with the media this evening, Police Superintendent Ahmed Faseeh said that they had received reports that something had exploded inside Sultan Park around 2:30pm today. He said that it wasn’t clear exactly what it was that had caused the explosion but confirmed that the people that had been injured in the explosion were all tourists. He also said that two of the tourists who were injured were in ‘serious condition’.
He said that the Police strongly condemned the incident and urged the public to send in any information, photo or video that anyone might have managed to get of the incident.
Immediately following the incident the Police and members of the Maldives National Defence Force cordoned off the area and began their investigation. Although it wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the explosion, people who were at the area during the incident said that they had heard ‘a phone ring right before the loud explosion was heard’.
“After showing the tourists the museum inside the park we had just reached the gate of the Park when I heard a mobile phone ring followed by a loud explosion,” a tourist guide, who had been conducting a tour with some tourists when the incident had occurred at the Park, said from ADK Hospital where some of the injured tourists had been admitted. “When I looked back I saw that one of the tourist’s entire legs from the knee below was on fire. I immediately told the tourist to strip. By that time the skin on his leg was burned. Shrapnel, possibly nails, from the bomb struck the tourists, wounding them. Half the hair on the head of one of the guests I was with was completely burned off. The hands were also bleeding from several wounds.”
The wounded tourists had immediately been taken to the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and ADK Hospital. When Haveeru reporters went to ADK they found three burn victims, all of them tourists, being treated for their burns. One had suffered severe burns below the waist. The other two had suffered various burns all over their body. The others who were injured were a Chinese woman, a Japanese couple and two European tourists.
A broken phone, a timer and some concrete nails believed to be used as shrapnel for the bomb was recovered at the scene by the Police.
