Zihaan's detention extended over Facebook post referring to arson

Former Deputy Minister of Transport Hassan Zihaan has been remanded in custody for a further 14 days over a Facebook post in which he suggested setting fire to the President's Office, Parliament and the Supreme Court.

The court extended his detention on Wednesday after the expiry of an initial 15-day remand order issued by the Fuvahmulah Magistrate Court.

Zihaan, who previously served as a First Lieutenant in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), was arrested in Fuvahmulah on 20 October following comments he posted on Facebook.

In the post, Zihaan questioned why similar actions could not be taken against the Supreme Court, President's Office and People's Majlis, suggesting that setting fire to the buildings would be entertaining.

His comments were made in response to an Al Jazeera report about a fire at Albania's Supreme Court during protests against the Albanian government.

Zihaan subsequently deleted the Facebook post.

Police arrested him in Fuvahmulah on the same night the comments were published. He was then presented before the Fuvahmulah Magistrate Court, which ordered him to be held in custody for 15 days while the matter was investigated.

Following the expiry of that period, the court ordered that he remain in custody for another 14 days.

Zihaan was dismissed from his position as Deputy Minister of Transport in 2024. Since his dismissal, he has frequently criticised the government.

Before his appointment to the Transport Ministry, Zihaan served in the MNDF as a naval architect with the rank of First Lieutenant.

He was dismissed from that position during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, after which he also became a critic of the then government.