Former Deputy Minister Hassan Zihan has been arrested over a social media post calling for the President's Office, the People's Majlis and the Supreme Court building to be set on fire.
Police spokesperson Ahmed Shiyam confirmed Zihan's arrest.
Zihan was arrested in connection with a Facebook post in which he questioned why fires were not being set at the buildings housing the offices of the three branches of the state, and said it "would be fun" if such an act were carried out. However, he deleted the post within about an hour of posting it.
Zihan, who completed his higher education at the United States Naval Academy, is a former First Lieutenant of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). He was dismissed from military service towards the end of the previous government. The current government later appointed him Deputy Minister at the Transport Ministry, but he was subsequently removed from that post as well.
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