Sniper arrested in Maldives not from Lanka military

The Ministry of Defence says the sniper arrested in the Maldives recently is not from the Sri Lanka military.

The Maldives media had reported that the police had arrested a Sri Lankan sniper from the Maldives days after a sniper rifle bullet was found in the biggest weapons bust in the country?s recent history.

Haveeru reported that the sniper had served in the Sri Lankan military and that he was arrested a week ago and remains in custody.?Maldivian authorities, neither confirmed nor denied the arrest.

The Ministry of Defence in a statement today said that investigations revealed that the sniper had not served in the Sri Lanka military.

The Maldives army said last Saturday that two assault rifles found in the biggest weapons bust in Maldives? recent history belonged to the state armoury.

The items showcased during a press conference earlier last Saturday included several hand guns, a T56 assault rifle and a MP5 sub-machine gun. In addition, a large quantity of bomb making material were also displayed at the press briefing. (Colombo Gazette)