Extremists blamed in Maldives attack

MALE, Maldives — A top official in the Maldives said Saturday that Islamic extremists were responsible for an explosion that critically wounded former President Mohamed Nasheed last week, as police said they arrested two of four suspects.

Hospital officials said Saturday that Nasheed, 53, was conscious and no longer needed breathing support, but remains in an intensive-care unit after surgeries on his head, chest, abdomen and limbs. They told reporters that shrapnel from the blast damaged his intestines and liver, and that a piece of shrapnel broke his rib and had been a fraction of an inch from his heart.

Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said that investigators still don’t know which extremist group was behind Thursday’s attack, which also wounded two bodyguards and two apparent bystanders, including a British citizen. Police announced Saturday that two men had been arrested, and released a photo of a person they said is the main fugitive suspect, seeking public assistance in identifying him. No group has claimed responsibility.

Nasheed, the Parliament speaker, has been an outspoken critic of religious extremism in the predominantly Sunni Muslim nation, where preaching and practicing other faiths are banned by law. He also has been criticized by religious hard-liners for his closeness to the West and liberal policies.

Officers from the Australian federal police arrived Saturday in the Maldives to assist with the investigation; a British investigator is expected to arrive in the Indian Ocean archipelago today.