Colombo, Sept 21: President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives ordered the arrest of five members of his National Security Service (NSS) for their suspected involvement in prison riots that killed two inmates. "I would like to state that, after preliminary investigations undertaken by the government, five persons deemed culpable have been discharged from the NSS and are now in police custody," Gayoom said in an address to the nation last night after the riots.
"Full investigations are underway with regard to their roles in the incident," added the President. He also appointed a five-member team to probe the incident, which led to unprecedented rioting in the capital island Male.
Initially only one man was killed, but in a second riot yesterday, another inmate was killed, allegedly by NSS men. The rioting has shaken the usually peaceful tourist paradise. Bureau Report