Former Maldives president hurt in blast outside home – police

FILE PHOTO: Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed speaks during a news conference ahead of the Maldives presidential election, in Colombo, Sri Lanka September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

MALE — Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed was injured in a blast outside his family home on Thursday, police said in a statement.

“Following an explosion… Speaker of Parliament President Mohamed Nasheed has sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at ADK Hospital,” the statement said.

Images from state TV channel PSM showed security services securing the scene of the incident in the capital Male. A foreign tourist was also injured, the channel reported.

“Strongly condemn the attack on Speaker of Parliament, President Mohamed Nasheed this evening,” the country’s foreign minister Abdulla Shahid, a member of Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party, said in a tweet.

“Cowardly attacks like these have no place in our society. My thoughts and prayers are with President Nasheed and others injured in this attack, as well as their families.”