Court extends former deputy minister Zihan's remand by 14 days

Former Deputy Minister Hassan Zihan has been remanded in custody for a further 14 days in connection with a case involving alleged incitement to commit arson against three key state institutions, the President's Office, Parliament and the Supreme Court.

Police said Hassan Zihan's previous 15-day remand expired on Thursday, after which investigators sought a further extension. The court subsequently ordered that he remain in custody for an additional 14 days.

Hassan Zihan was arrested following a social media post last month that allegedly encouraged the burning of buildings housing the three branches of the state. The post questioned why the buildings had not been set on fire and suggested such an act would be “fun.” The post was deleted from Facebook approximately an hour after it was published.

According to police, the investigation remains ongoing and the remand extension was requested to allow investigators additional time to gather evidence related to the case.

A former First Lieutenant in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Hassan Zihan graduated from the United States Naval Academy and later worked as a naval architect. He was discharged from the military at the end of the previous administration before being appointed Deputy Minister of Transport by the current government. He was subsequently removed from the post.

Police added that the agency views incidents involving the encouragement of attacks on important state institutions and other dangerous acts as matters of serious concern.