A man was detained on suspicion of trying to assault Male' City Mayor Adam Azim during a demonstration organized by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Friday night.

On Monday, the Criminal Court addressed the assault-related allegations after Abdullah Muaz, 35, from G. Eerie, Male' City, appeared before the court.

As per the court order, the police claimed that Muaz tried to attack Azim during the MDP demonstration.

Muaz informed the court that he had gone to the mayor to speak with him and was attacked by demonstrators. The order indicated that Muaz has a history of arrest and detention.

The Criminal Court decided that his release might jeopardize public safety and mandated that he be held in custody for 15 days.

The protest by the MDP was aired live on television. Video clips display Azim strolling when a man comes towards him. Although the man is visible pushing Azim, the video simultaneously captures protesters quickly pushing the supposed attacker back and relocating the Mayor.

During a newspaper interview on Friday night, Azim claimed that the government had planned the attack in advance. He criticized the event.

The government rejected Azim's claim. Government representative Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) stated he was unaware of the evidence on which the mayor founded his assertion. “It is entirely untrue and it is extremely disgraceful to level such accusations,” he stated.

Mundhu also stated that the MDP and the city council had not notified the police about the incident for several hours. He stated that the government launched an inquiry upon witnessing the video spread on social media.