Haveeru office hit by arson attack

The offices of the Maldives’ oldest newspaper, Haveeru, was hit by an arson attack in the early hours of Friday morning, local media report.

The attack was reported at 2:30am. The fire destroyed the daily’s reception area on the ground floor, but security forces doused the flames before they could spread further.

There were no reports of injuries, but the fire shattered the reception area’s glass doors and left furniture damaged beyond use.

Eyewitnesses told several local media outlets that they saw the arsonist flee by scaling the office’s outer walls. A bag and cap, suspected to belong to the arsonist, were found at the scene later.