The National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) has started investigating claims about Maldivians traveling for jihad against Israeli atrocities in Palestine.
A man named Ahmed Firaz said in a Facebook post that three Maldivians have traveled to Jordan in order to attempt to enter Palestine.
NCTC Director General Zakariyya Mansoor told Adhadhu on Monday that the case has come to the attention of the center, which is attempting to verify the Facebook ID for an investigation.
"We are investigating the case. It's difficult for us to say yet whether it actually happened or not," he said.
Zakariyya said this was the first instance of Maldivians suspected to have traveled for jihad in Palestine.
The Facebook post has been widely shared with many comments encouraging the act.
The anti-terrorism law prohibits traveling overseas to a conflict zone or to fight in a war.
A special permit is required to travel to such regions for the purpose of providing humanitarian assistance.
Exceptions under the law for traveling to a war zone:
- To provide humanitarian assistance to people suffering hardship because of war
- To execute a court order
- To carry out work assigned by a foreign government
- To carry out work assigned by the UN or a UN agency
- For authorized journalism
- For special work undertaken by a private organization or association with authorization from the government
- For other purposes authorized by the government
A large number of Maldivians previously traveled to fight in the Syrian civil war.
Some 173 people were known to have gone to Syria, of whom 59 remained in the country and 91 percent of them were women and children, Police Commissioner Mohamed Hameed said in December 2019.
