First Lady, injured in boat blast, released from hospital

Maldives First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim was released from hospital on Friday, more than a month after being admitted for injuries to her spine caused by an explosion on the presidential speedboat.

In a statement, Fathimath thanked all her supporters, near and far, for their well wishes.

The first lady sustained several minor fractures to her spine on September 28, the government has said. She was sitting on President Abdulla Yameen’s usual seat when the explosion occurred.

“She is able to walk now, but has not recovered fully,” said Fathimath Zaina from the first lady’s office. “It will be some time before she appears in public events, as she used to do.”

Hundreds with white roses had lined up at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital earlier in October to visit the first lady.

The government, citing findings by Sri Lankan and Saudi Arabian experts, insists the blast was caused by a bomb targeting Yameen. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, said it had found no evidence of an explosive device on the boat.

None of the forensic reports have been made public.

Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, impeached at a sudden vote on Thursday, is the main suspect in the boat blast inquiry. He was jailed on October 24.

At least a dozen individuals including high-ranking military officers are in custody over the blast.

The security forces last week displayed a large cache of weapons they said they had seized during raids conducted as part of the inquiry and said they had defused a bomb found near the presidential palace.

There have been three bomb scares in the capital Malé since then.

Yameen, on Wednesday, declared an unprecedented nationwide state of emergency for 30 days. Fundamental freedoms, including the right to assembly and freedom from arbitrary arrest, have been suspended.