Commission: Murders in Maldives were carried out by Al-Qaeda Jabhat Al-Nusra

The Presidential Commission investigating deaths and disappearances has said that the murders in the Maldives were carried out by a branch of Al-Qaeda called the Jabhat Al-Nusra.

Speaking during a press conference held today, President of the Commission Husnu al-Suood noted that a branch of Al-Qaeda had been operating in the Maldives for quite some time.

Suood noted that while the branch of Al-Qaeda had been active in the Maldives since 2009, they had split up into two factions after IS declared themselves a Caliphate in 2014. One of these factions supported Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi's Islamic State while the other was a branch of Jabhat Al-Nusra active in Iraq and Syria.

Both parties are active in the Furqan and Noor mosque areas in Male' City.

Suood revealed that the leader of the Al-Qaeda branch in Maldives was a man named Mohamed Mazeed. He had traveled to Pakistan where he trained, after the bomb incident at the Sultan Park in 2007. He had then returned and revised the Al-Qaeda laws in the country.

He highlighted that both parties target youth who seem to be alone, and help them in a bid to recruit them. Witness statements revealed that they preach religious activities and expose them to videos that encourage Jihad.