A suspect wanted over the attempted murder of Mathiveri MP Hassan Zareer has surrendered to the police.
Police commissioner Mohamed Hameed told Adhadhu that 32-year-old Ibrahim Abdulla ‘Gabbarey’ surrendered on Tuesday morning.
Zareer, an MP from the ruling party, was attacked on May 1 at the Habibi Cafe in front of TVM.
Police told the media that two Maldivian men aged 21 and 22 were detained on May 11 with a court warrant.
In a later announcement, police said that Gabbarey was wanted over an alleged attempted murder.
Gabbarey is a national council member of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). He is the president of the Mahchangolhi Dhekunu area.
He is also a former gang leader in Male’ with a long record of serious crimes with charges ranging from assault to murder.
In 2007, Gabbarey - then aged 16 - confessed to police over the murder of Ali Ishar.
He was charged with first degree but the juvenile court acquitted him in 2010.
Gabbarey was sentenced to jail in a separate case and was allowed to travel to India for medical treatment where he lived on the run for some time.
Zareer did not sustain serious injuries in the stabbing attack and the motive is unclear.
The speaker of the People’s Majlis and former President Mohamed Nasheed sustained life-threatening injuries when a device exploded near his home in 2021. The authorities believe the attack was carried out by religious extremists.
Ungoofaaru MP Dr. Afraasheem Ali was brutally murdered in the stairwell of his home in 2012. A presidential commission concluded that he was murdered by a local extremist group with ties to al-Qaeda.
