Maldives police on Thursday arrested three men over the stabbing of two Chinese nationals and an Australian, and were probing their suspected links with Islamic State, officials said.

The three men were stabbed on Tuesday night in Hulhumale, an island seven kms (four miles) north of capital city Male, police said on Twitter.

One of the Chinese nationals was a tourist and the two others worked in the city. They were in stable conditions in the hospital, police added.

Chinese and Australian embassy officials were not immediately available to comment.

A Maldivian radical group affiliated with Islamic State had taken responsibility for the attack in a video posted online, local media reported on Wednesday.

One of the three masked men seen in the video accused the Maldivian government of being run by infidels and warned more such attacks were coming.

Police said they were working to confirm the veracity of the video.

Last year, a 35-year-old man identified as a leader for Islamic State in the Maldives by the U.S. authorities was arrested for allegedly leading Islamic State recruitment in the mainly Sunni Muslim nation.

The archipelago in the Indian Ocean derives much of its income from tourism.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Sri Lanka in April last year and has been looking to bolster its presence in the sub-continent after being driven out of its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

The Maldives parliament has given sweeping investigative powers to counter-terrorism agencies, and authorities have stepped up operations against hardline Islamist groups.

Maldives police on Thursday arrested three men over the stabbing of two Chinese nationals and an Australian, and were probing their suspected links with Islamic State, officials said.

Maldives police on Thursday arrested three men over the stabbing of two Chinese nationals and an Australian, and were probing their suspected links with Islamic State, officials said. The three men were stabbed on Tuesday night in Hulhumale, an island seven kms (four miles) north of capital city Male, police said on Twitter. One of the Chinese nationals was a tourist and the two others worked in the city. They were in stable conditions in the hospital, police added. Chinese and Australian embassy officials were not immediately available to comment. A Maldivian radical group affiliated with Islamic State had taken responsibility for the attack in a video posted online, local media reported on Wednesday. One of the three masked men seen in the video accused the Maldivian government of being run by infidels and warned more such attacks were coming. Police said they were working to confirm the veracity of the video. Last year, a 35-year-old man identified as a leader for Islamic State in the Maldives by the U.S. authorities was arrested for allegedly leading Islamic State recruitment in the mainly Sunni Muslim nation. The archipelago in the Indian Ocean derives much of its income from tourism. Islamic State claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Sri Lanka in April last year and has been looking to bolster its presence in the sub-continent after being driven out of its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The Maldives parliament has given sweeping investigative powers to counter-terrorism agencies, and authorities have stepped up operations against hardline Islamist groups.

Maldives police arrest three over stabbing of Chinese, Australian

Maldives police on Saturday said they had arrested former vice-president Ahmed Adeeb and were bringing him to the capital Male after he was refused entry to India.

Adeeb, who was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2016 for allegedly plotting to assassinate the Maldives' then-president Abdulla Yameen, was detained early on Thursday in the city of Thoothukudi after arriving illegally by a tugboat.

"We would like to confirm that Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor of H. Saamaraa has been arrested and is being transported to Male under our custody," Maldives police said in a Twitter post.

An Indian port official in Thoothukudi said Adeeb had been sent back to the Maldives late on Friday on a boat escorted by a coast guard vessel.

Adeeb is expected to reach Indian Ocean island chain by Sunday or Monday, an official at the Maldives' foreign ministry said.

The two sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Police officials in the Maldives and India's foreign affairs ministry declined to comment.

Adeeb, 37, was also convicted three years ago of corruption and terrorism and faced a total sentence of 33 years.

A court in the South Asian archipelago ordered a fresh trial on the same charges this year after cancelling his convictions, citing undue political interference.

A key witness in a money laundering case against Yameen, he was once seen as a future leader of the Maldives. Yameen has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Adeeb was freed from house arrest earlier this month.

London-based legal group Guernica 37, which is representing Adeeb, said in a statement on Thursday that he had "sought the protection of India" and initiated the process of claiming political asylum after fleeing the Maldives in fear of his life.

Guernica 37 did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours on Saturday.

Indian authorities were tipped off about Adeeb's arrival in Thoothukudi by the company operating the Singapore-flagged tugboat carrying him, port and police officials had said.

A government source in New Delhi said Adeeb "was not permitted to enter India since he was not entering through a designated entry point and did not possess the valid document".

Maldives police on Saturday said they had arrested former vice-president Ahmed Adeeb and were bringing him to the capital Male after he was refused entry to India.

Maldives police on Saturday said they had arrested former vice-president Ahmed Adeeb and were bringing him to the capital Male after he was refused entry to India. Adeeb, who was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2016 for allegedly plotting to assassinate the Maldives' then-president Abdulla Yameen, was detained early on Thursday in the city of Thoothukudi after arriving illegally by a tugboat. "We would like to confirm that Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor of H. Saamaraa has been arrested and is being transported to Male under our custody," Maldives police said in a Twitter post. An Indian port official in Thoothukudi said Adeeb had been sent back to the Maldives late on Friday on a boat escorted by a coast guard vessel. Adeeb is expected to reach Indian Ocean island chain by Sunday or Monday, an official at the Maldives' foreign ministry said. The two sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Police officials in the Maldives and India's foreign affairs ministry declined to comment. Adeeb, 37, was also convicted three years ago of corruption and terrorism and faced a total sentence of 33 years. A court in the South Asian archipelago ordered a fresh trial on the same charges this year after cancelling his convictions, citing undue political interference. A key witness in a money laundering case against Yameen, he was once seen as a future leader of the Maldives. Yameen has pleaded not guilty in the case. Adeeb was freed from house arrest earlier this month. London-based legal group Guernica 37, which is representing Adeeb, said in a statement on Thursday that he had "sought the protection of India" and initiated the process of claiming political asylum after fleeing the Maldives in fear of his life. Guernica 37 did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours on Saturday. Indian authorities were tipped off about Adeeb's arrival in Thoothukudi by the company operating the Singapore-flagged tugboat carrying him, port and police officials had said. A government source in New Delhi said Adeeb "was not permitted to enter India since he was not entering through a designated entry point and did not possess the valid document".

Maldives police arrest ex-vice president Ahmed Adeeb after India denies entry

Maldives police said<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-british-journalists-arrested-in-maldives-to-be-deported-32407"> today it had launched an</a> investigation into the attempt to &quot;overthrow the government&quot; of Maldives.

Police said it had brought former president of Maldives Abdul Gayoom, Chief Justice Al Ustaz Abdhullah Saeed, Supreme Court judge Ali Hameed among others into custody to investigate the case.

&quot;During the investigation, 30 people have been questioned and 15 locations searched,&quot; police said.

The police added that it had &quot;found evidence&quot; against judicial administrator Hassan Saeed Hussain, saying that it had recovered a large amount of cash under his mattress in his house.

&quot;Documentary has been found which revealed Hassan Saeed Hussain received substantial amount of money to bribe judges,&quot; police said in a statement.

&quot;A bag containing $215,000 and 150,000 in Maldivian currency has been recovered from Supreme Court judge Ali Hameed Mohamed,&quot; it added.

The police said $2.4 million was wired to Ali Hameed as a &quot;loan&quot; from a commercial company in the Maldives to buy a flat.

Former president Gayoom was providing &quot;financial assistance&quot; to Hameed and his family, the police alleged.

&quot;During the investigation, a black suitcase was discovered in Ms Najma&#39;s residence who is an employee of former president Gayoom,&quot; police said.

&quot;In addition, documentary evidence was found in the bag that showed individuals in the case had brought apartments abroad,&quot; police claimed.

The police said $2.4 million was wired to Ali Hameed as a "loan" from a commercial company in the Maldives to buy a flat.

Maldives police said today it had launched an investigation into the attempt to "overthrow the government" of Maldives. Police said it had brought former president of Maldives Abdul Gayoom, Chief Justice Al Ustaz Abdhullah Saeed, Supreme Court judge Ali Hameed among others into custody to investigate the case. "During the investigation, 30 people have been questioned and 15 locations searched," police said. The police added that it had "found evidence" against judicial administrator Hassan Saeed Hussain, saying that it had recovered a large amount of cash under his mattress in his house. "Documentary has been found which revealed Hassan Saeed Hussain received substantial amount of money to bribe judges," police said in a statement. "A bag containing $215,000 and 150,000 in Maldivian currency has been recovered from Supreme Court judge Ali Hameed Mohamed," it added. The police said $2.4 million was wired to Ali Hameed as a "loan" from a commercial company in the Maldives to buy a flat. Former president Gayoom was providing "financial assistance" to Hameed and his family, the police alleged. "During the investigation, a black suitcase was discovered in Ms Najma's residence who is an employee of former president Gayoom," police said. "In addition, documentary evidence was found in the bag that showed individuals in the case had brought apartments abroad," police claimed.

Evidence available against ex-president Gayoom, SC judge Ali Hameed: Maldives police

The Maldives police arrested a Maldivian man for allegedly trying to cross into Syria to join the civil war there, the Maldives Independent reported.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, in a series of tweets, the police said he was&ldquo;on his way to join Syrian civil war.&rdquo; The man&#39;s identity and the&nbsp;date of extradition were&nbsp;not disclosed.&nbsp;

&ldquo;In order to reduce the number of such cases, we are expanding cooperation with international actors and are working on increasing the police&rsquo;s capacity,&rdquo; the Maldives&nbsp;Police&#39;s tweet read.&nbsp;

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A Maldivian arrested and brought back to Male&#39; on his way to join Syrian civil war.
&mdash; Maldives Police (@PoliceMv) <a href="https://twitter.com/PoliceMv/status/829039995122020354">February 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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According to media reports, this is the fourth Maldivian citizen to be arrested&nbsp;for&nbsp;trying to&nbsp;join the war in Syria. The other three are currently under trial&nbsp;facing terrorism charges,&nbsp;the Maldives Independent reported.&nbsp;

If convicted, they can get up to 20 years in prison.&nbsp;

Several Maldivians are leaving the beautiful island nation mostly to fight within&nbsp;al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, in Syria.&nbsp;

At least six Maldivians are believed to have died fighting in Syria.&nbsp;

Although no official figures are available, former Maldivian president Nasheed claims there could as many as 200 Maldivians fighting in Syria.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exclusive-from-the-white-sand-beaches-to-the-arid-syrian-desert-young-maldivians-swell-the-ranks-of-islamist-terrorists-11241">WION</a> had earlier reported that the growing radicalism in the country could be attributed to some radical preachers educated in Saudi Arabia and spreading the strict Salafi version of Islam in the archipelago.&nbsp;

This not only poses a threat for the Maldives but for India as well, a close neighbour which has a fair share of its own citizens attempting to participate in the war.&nbsp;

In 2016, about 50 Indians have been arrested for having suspected links to the IS. The detainees mostly belonged to states of Maharashtra and Kerala, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-52-detained-for-having-links-to-islamic-state-in-2016-11485">WION</a> reported.&nbsp;

After allegations that current President Abdulla Yameen&#39;s administration had failed to curb the threat, the Parliament in 2015 introduced a law which criminalises&nbsp;people joining foreign wars.&nbsp;

(WION)

The police said the man was brought back to the Maldives with the help of 'international' agencies

The Maldives police arrested a Maldivian man for allegedly trying to cross into Syria to join the civil war there, the Maldives Independent reported. On Tuesday, in a series of tweets, the police said he was“on his way to join Syrian civil war.” The man's identity and the date of extradition were not disclosed. “In order to reduce the number of such cases, we are expanding cooperation with international actors and are working on increasing the police’s capacity,” the Maldives Police's tweet read. A Maldivian arrested and brought back to Male' on his way to join Syrian civil war. — Maldives Police (@PoliceMv) February 7, 2017 × According to media reports, this is the fourth Maldivian citizen to be arrested for trying to join the war in Syria. The other three are currently under trial facing terrorism charges, the Maldives Independent reported. If convicted, they can get up to 20 years in prison. Several Maldivians are leaving the beautiful island nation mostly to fight within al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, in Syria. At least six Maldivians are believed to have died fighting in Syria. Although no official figures are available, former Maldivian president Nasheed claims there could as many as 200 Maldivians fighting in Syria. WION had earlier reported that the growing radicalism in the country could be attributed to some radical preachers educated in Saudi Arabia and spreading the strict Salafi version of Islam in the archipelago. This not only poses a threat for the Maldives but for India as well, a close neighbour which has a fair share of its own citizens attempting to participate in the war. In 2016, about 50 Indians have been arrested for having suspected links to the IS. The detainees mostly belonged to states of Maharashtra and Kerala, WION reported. After allegations that current President Abdulla Yameen's administration had failed to curb the threat, the Parliament in 2015 introduced a law which criminalises people joining foreign wars. (WION)

Maldives: Police arrest fourth Maldivian man trying to join Syrian war

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Maldives police arrest three over stabbing of Chinese, Australian

Maldives police arrest ex-vice president Ahmed Adeeb after India denies entry

Evidence available against ex-president Gayoom, SC judge Ali Hameed: Maldives police

Maldives: Police arrest fourth Maldivian man trying to join Syrian war