Former MNDF Officer Arrested Over Post Calling for Arson

Former MNDF First Lieutenant and Deputy Minister Zihan Hassan has been arrested in Fuvahmulah over a social media post calling for the President’s Office, Parliament and Supreme Court buildings to be set on fire.

In the post, Zihan questioned why the buildings housing the country’s three state institutions had not been burned, adding that doing so would be “fun”. He reportedly deleted the post about an hour after publishing it.

Police confirmed that the post had been brought to their attention and said the matter was under investigation.

Zihan previously served as a naval architect at the Maldives National Defence Force after graduating from the US Naval Academy. He was dismissed from the military at the end of the previous administration and later appointed Deputy Minister of Transport under the current administration, before being dismissed from that position.

Police are also investigating a separate case involving an activist from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) accused of damaging buildings and looting shops during anti-government activity.