Chief Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) mentioned today that the government is not linked to the assault on Male' City Mayor Adam Azim that occurred during an MDP event last night.

As MDP protesters were marching close to the Henveiru Cemetery last night, a young man unexpectedly came up to Azim, hit him in the chest, and shoved him. As the event occurred on live TV, multiple individuals from the crowd came forward to support Azim, challenged the young man, and shoved him aside.

After Azim's allegations against the government concerning the attack, the Chief Spokesperson released a statement via the President's Office confirming that the government would not engage in such an action.

"The Spokesperson remarked that it's unexpected for Mayor Adam Azim to assert that the government was behind this attack, and it remains completely unclear on what grounds or evidence such a claim was made." The President's Office statement indicated that he also mentioned this is not connected to the government in any manner and reassured all involved that the government would not engage in such actions.

According to the Chief Spokesperson, the President's Office stated that Mayor Azim's assertion is entirely untrue and that leveling such baseless accusations is an act of very poor quality.

The statement indicates that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu viewed the video depicting the effort to assault Mayor Azim. The statement emphasized that the President strongly denounces the effort to assault the Mayor.

The statement from the President's Office, referencing President Muizzu, indicated that since the Mayor of Male' is elected directly by the citizens, it is unacceptable to assault or hinder the tasks of him or any political leader, both in their political duties and personal lives.

"The President assures that the government will continually strive to prevent such occurrences and create a secure environment free from fear for all citizens," stated the President's Office.

The President's Office announced that Mayor Azim, the MDP, and the Male' City Council have not submitted an official complaint to the police concerning the attack. The President's Office announced that the police initiated an investigation independently after viewing the video of the assault.

Up to this point, there have been no reported arrests by the police regarding the issue.

Chief Spokesperson Shareef indicated that because the police are the legally designated entity responsible for societal safety and security, not reporting such incidents to them hampers their ability to fulfill their duties. He voiced unease regarding this issue.