Abdullah Shahid arrested on suspicion of child sexual assault

Former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) President and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid was arrested tonight on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child. In a statement issued by the police, it was said that Shahid was arrested at 21:59 tonight under a court order on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 18. Abdullah Shahid is a distinguished political figure of the Maldives who has rendered more than 40 years of successful service in the fields of foreign policy, governance of the People's Majlis, and international leadership. Shahid began his general service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984. In 1993, he was appointed as the Head of the International Organizations and Conferences Department. Furthermore, in the early 1990s, he served as Executive Secretary and Advisor to President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. In 2000, he was elected to the People's Majlis as a member of Vaavu Atoll and served a term in the Special Majlis that drafted the new Constitution of the Maldives. Following the first multi-party election in the country, he was elected as the 16th President of the People's Majlis (2009–2014). He has served as Foreign Minister for two terms. The first was during President Maumoon's tenure (2007–2008) and later during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's tenure from 2018 to 2023. Simultaneously, in June 2021, he gained significant international recognition when he was elected President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Looking at the domestic political arena, he joined the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2013 and assumed the party presidency in February 2024. In August 2026, he resigned from the position of party president to contest the MDP presidential primary in the 2028 presidential election.