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| Afghanistan-Pak-India | |
| Maldivian government links Ibrahim Asif with al-Qaeda | |
| 2005-11-22 | |
| The Maldivian government appears to be trying to implicate detainee Ibrahim Asif in links with the terror network, al-Qaeda, Asif's family have stated. Two police officers entered Asif's home – where he is currently detained – on the 20th November without notice and took him to the Male' police headquarters. The police held him in an open area for a few minutes and then transported him to the Criminal Court, family members have said. The police reportedly asked the judge in court to extend Asif's period of detention on the grounds that "the Indian police had said he was connected to al-Qaeda." Asif fervently denies the allegations. Asif said that the police produced no evidence that the Indian police had made such a communication or what evidence the Indian police purportedly had to link him al-Qaeda. Asif explained to the judge that he did not know anyone from al-Qaeda but the judge extended his detention period by a further fifteen days under house arrest. Asif says the police told him that although there was no evidence against him, they had orders to arrest him. He believes the police have deliberately labeled him as a terrorist in order to either cover up their own incompetence or frame him in order to help convict political prisoners who have been accused of terrorism. Although the government has never produced any evidence to link Asif to terrorism, they have made a number of allegations in the international and local media and to foreign diplomatic missions that Asif is a terrorist linked to senior members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). The MDP has strongly dismissed the allegations, accusing the government of using Asif as an unwitting pawn in a campaign to try and undermine the political opposition of President Gayoom. Following Asif's initial arrest in April this year, the government accused Asif of being an terrorist agent who mission was to buy arms and explosives to target government buildings in Male'. Pro-government website FactMaldives added that Asif was working for MDP's Mohamed Latheef and family members of Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) and that three British nationals (a Minivan News reporter, the MDP's human rights lawyer and FOM's David Hardingham) were also involved. Shortly after the article on FactMaldives - which at the time appeared to be acting as the mouthpiece of the Maldivian government - the British High Commission in Colombo was informed that the three British nationals were barred from entering the Maldives – suspected of involvement in Islamic terrorism. Analysts have said that even though the accusations of Islamic terrorism against the MDP members and the British nationals are met with hoots of laughter in the diplomatic community, the MDP should not underestimate the resolve of the government to break Gayoom's political opposition. "Gayoom is absolutely desperate to secure a conviction against MDP head Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) [who is currently being tried for 'terrorism']. Even though these allegations sound preposterous, if the government can somehow successfully brandish Asif a terrorist and then find some way to link him to the MDP, they will do so." "The MDP should not underestimate the determination of the government to sentence Mohamed Nasheed and put him away for a very long time," Minivan News was told.
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| Posted by:Dan Darling |