State: ISIS propaganda documents found in pen drive recovered from Nazim’s home

Mohamed Nazim at a hearing in the May 6 blast trials.

Prosecutors told the Criminal Court on Thursday that police found ISIS propaganda documents from a pen drive seized from the home of Mohamed Nazim, one of the men charged in connection to the IED attack which targeted Parliament speaker, former president Mohamed Nasheed, last year.

A homemade remote-controlled IED was strapped to motorcycle parked nearby Nasheed’s residence, and was detonated at 08:27 pm on May 6, 2021, just as Nasheed exited his residence and went to get in his car. Nasheed was thrown to the ground and sustained multiple shrapnel wounds, while three members of his security detail and two bystanders sustained minor wounds.

Nazim, Asareege, AA. Maalhos, has been charged with possession of a document, drawing or photo indicating support for a terrorist organization.

The public prosecutor told the court on Thursday morning that the police searched Nazim’s residence following his arrest. The police found a bag from his residence, inside which they found a pen drive containing documents that suggested he supported ISIS.

Nazim plead not guilty to the charge. His attorney told the court that the documents did not belong to Nazim.

Following Nazim’s denial of the charge, the prosecution presented the evidence against him.

Judge Hassan Saeed granted the defense ten days to submit evidence.

Two more men charged in connection to the case had hearings scheduled for Thursday; Hassan Yaseen, Dhafthar 6231, and Mohamed Zoomal Zareer, Hulhumale' 56-3-07.

Hearings for the three defendants are being held separately.

Zoomal’s hearing was cancelled after he submitted a medical document to prove he was sick. And in Yaseen’s hearing, the judge decided against granting an extension to the period granted to the defense to present evidence.

11 men were charged in connection to the attack, only one, Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed, Hiyaa, V. Thinadhoo, who confessed to detonating the IED, was convicted. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison in December last year after he signed a plea deal with the state.