There are suspicions hat a police officer violated use-of-force protocols by mishandling a Taser during last Monday’s raid on the Adhadhu office.
Following a four-hour search operation inside the Adhadhu newsroom, police seized 20 devices, including laptops, hard drives, and memory cards.
The raid was prompted by the "Aisha" documentary which featured a former President’s Office employee who alleged an extramarital affair with President Mohamed Muizzu.
Approximately 10 officers participated in the raid, one of whom was armed with a Taser carried in a waist holster. The Taser is considered the most powerful non-lethal weapon in the police arsenal.
However, during the four-hour operation, the officer carrying the weapon acted in a manner inconsistent with established regulations, including repeatedly touching the device.
According to Article 9 of the police regulations governing Taser use, officers are prohibited from touching the weapon unless they are issuing a formal warning prior to its use. The regulation further specifies that reaching for the Taser is strictly forbidden except when signaling an intent to deploy it.
The raid on Adhadhu’s office took place 12 hours after Muizzu publicly called for an investigation. He issued the directive during a live press conference after Adhadhu journalist Mohamed Shahzan questioned him regarding the serious allegations.
"Yes, that is an absolute lie. You are referring to the video produced by Adhadhu. By asking this, you are admitting to creating a video containing blatant falsehoods. I request all relevant authorities to take legal action against everyone involved in spreading such lies," Muizzu said.
In addition to the raid, the Criminal Court has issued travel bans against Adhadhu’s CEO, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, and Managing Editor, Hassan Mohamed, following a police request. Both Fiyaz and Hassan were summoned to the police last week for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.
