Knife left on ruling party lawmaker’s door

A kitchen knife was lodged in the door of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives lawmaker Riyaz Rasheed’s home in Malé Tuesday night.

Riyaz, the deputy leader of the PPM’s parliamentary group, shared photos of the knife on his front door in a series of tweets this morning.

“This is not the first time [they] attempted to attack me with a knife. With Allah’s mercy I’m protected every time,” he tweeted.

The knife was left in the lower half of the door and the photos also show that the door was repeatedly scraped with a knife.

Riyaz also claimed that a group tried to attack him twice on Tuesday night. The MP for Thaa Vilufushi was not responding to calls at the time of publication.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the case is under investigation but declined to offer further details.

While the use of engine oil to deface posters and homes is common in the Maldives, a knife has not been left on the door to target a politician before.

In September 2014, a machete was lodged in the door of the Maldives Independent building.

In September this year, the police launched a manhunt for a person who used engine oil to deface a giant billboard of President Abdulla Yameen at the artificial beach in Malé.

In November, used motor oil was also thrown on the gates to the Progressive Party of the Maldives’ former headquarters, now used as the office of PPM’s president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.