Ex-Maldives president arrested

COLOMBO: The former president of the Maldives was arrested yesterday on charges of abuse of power during his tenure, setting off violent protests in the capital, which saw seven policemen hurt.
Police spokesman Hassan Hanif said Mohamed Nasheed was arrested at his home in Male, the capital, and will be produced in court today. He said Nasheed failed to appear for a hearing and evaded two arrest warrants.
He said Nasheed’s supporters turned violent soon after the arrest, attacking police and burning a motorbike.
Ahmed Zahir, President of Maldives’ Journalists Association, said two reporters covering Nasheed’s arrest were beaten up.
“Assaulting my brother Ali Waheed will not help Nasheed escape justice,” President Mohammed Waheed Hassan tweeted after mobs tried to attack his brother.
Nasheed is charged with illegally ordering the arrest of a senior judge, a move that led to his fall from power in February 2012.
Hassan, his vice president, replaced him. Nasheed says he was forced out at gunpoint in a coup, though a commission of inquiry dismissed that claim last year.