Former deputy transport minister Hassan Zihan was arrested in Fuvahmulah City on Tuesday, 20 October, over a Facebook post calling for the buildings of the President's Office, Parliament and the Supreme Court to be set on fire. Police spokesperson Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that Zihan had been taken into custody in connection with the post.
Zihan was arrested under a court order on accusations of inciting violence. Earlier on Tuesday, a police media official had said that a status posted on a Facebook account in Zihan's name had come to the attention of the police and that officers were looking into it.
What the Facebook post said
In the post, Zihan questioned why the buildings housing the three branches of state power, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, had not been set on fire, and encouraged people to do so. "How come we dont get to set our supreme court and presidents office and Majilis on fire. Come on... itll be fun," he wrote.
He deleted the post about an hour after publishing it, but screenshots of it have since circulated on social media. No fire or attack on any of the three buildings has been reported.
Next steps in the investigation
Police have not publicly named the specific offence being investigated. No details had been made public by Wednesday morning on whether Zihan has been brought before a court for a remand hearing or whether any charges have been filed. His arrest does not mean he has been found guilty of any offence.
Who is Hassan Zihan
Zihan is a former First Lieutenant in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). He studied at the United States Naval Academy and worked as a naval architect at the MNDF before being dismissed from the force in the final days of the previous administration. His close associates said at the time that he had been removed for criticising the then government.
After President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's administration took office, Zihan was appointed Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Transport. He was later dismissed from that post and has since been a vocal critic of the government on social media.