MALE: Islamic extremists stormed an India-backed public yoga consultation within the Maldives on Tuesday, with police within the South Asian vacationer paradise firing tear gasoline to transparent the mob. Dozens of other folks waving white flags emblazoned with non secular slogans chased out a crowd sitting on health club mats and getting ready to mark World Yoga Day at a soccer stadium within the capital Male.

Police answered with tear gasoline and arrested six other folks after the mob smashed billboards promoting the development, which was once organised by means of the sports activities ministry and the native Indian Cultural Centre. Native media experiences mentioned the mob had claimed the meditative apply was once towards the lessons of Islam.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih mentioned the assault was once of “critical fear”, including that police had been investigating. “The ones accountable will likely be unexpectedly introduced prior to the legislation,” he mentioned on Twitter. Radicalisation has been a significant fear for safety forces within the Maldives, a Sunni Muslim archipelago country southwest of India higher recognized for its boutique beachside hotels and famous person vacationers.

Government blamed “non secular extremists” for an assassination strive on parliamentary speaker Mohamed Nasheed remaining yr. The federal government has cracked down on extremism, with police arresting a suspected Islamic State recruiter in 2019, and international preachers are banned from coming into the rustic.

Tuesday’s yoga consultation in Male was once one of the organised world wide to mark World Yoga Day, an annual tournament followed by means of the United International locations in 2014. Indian High Minister Narendra Modi was once the megastar player of 1 outside apply on Tuesday morning subsequent to an ornate palace complicated within the southern town of Mysore. – AFP