News Desk
MALE’ — In July last year, a man walked into the Dhiraagu shop at Velana International Airport, claimed to be a member of ISIS and threatened to blow the place up. Last week, the Criminal Court sentenced him to one month and 24 days in jail, reduced to one month and 13 days after deducting time already served in custody.
For a bomb threat at the country’s main international gateway, invoking the name of a global terrorist organisation, that is the outcome.
The accused, Nadeef Mohamed, pleaded not guilty and offered no defence evidence. The court found him guilty of creating a situation in a public place knowing his actions would offend, annoy or intimidate others through an act that served no legitimate purpose. Not a terrorism charge. Not a weapons offence. A public nuisance, in legal terms, for walking into an airport retail shop and threatening an explosion.
Then there is the question of which shop. Of all the outlets at Velana International Airport, Nadeef chose Dhiraagu.
Nadeef’s record beyond this case does not suggest a man whose energies have been channelled constructively. Police records show he was recently arrested for allegedly running scams through Facebook Marketplace, with cash cards, SIM cards, mobile phones, rufiyaa and dollars recovered from him at the time. He was also arrested this year on suspicion of hacking into a bank account and withdrawing a significant sum.
One month and 13 days for a bomb threat at the international gateway of a tourism-dependent island nation. The case is closed. The Dhiraagu shop is presumably still there, running another promotion, dimming the lights, rolling out the cameras, and calling it something other than frustration.
