Terrorist attack, Maldives

This item appears on page 19 of the April 2020 issue.

Three people, two from China and one from Australia, were stabbed and injured in a knife attack on the island of Hulhumale, Maldives, on Feb. 4. A local group with ties to the Islamist militant group Daesh claimed responsibility. Three men, described by police as “Jihadists,” were arrested for the attack.

Though the Maldives is a Muslim country, Islamic terrorism is rare. A citizen was arrested in 2019 after being identified as a Daesh recruiter by US intelligence. He was also suspected of being involved in a bombing in the capital, Malé, in 2007 that targeted tourists, injuring 12, the last recorded incident of terrorism.