DHAKA: The vice-president of the Maldives has been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate the president, say police and officials.

Ahmed Adeeb was in detention and being charged with high treason, Home Minister Umar Naseer said on Twitter, reports the BBC.

President Abdulla Yameen narrowly escaped injury when a blast struck the boat he was using to return home from the airport late last month.

In recent years, the Maldives has been rocked by political infighting.

Yameen's election has been the subject of drawn-out wrangling.

Quoting the Maldivian newspaper Haveeru, the BBC said that security has been tightened in the capital Male amid fears of “turmoil” triggered by the arrest.

“By early morning Saturday, lorries loaded with policemen and soldiers were seen on nearly every street,” it reports.

Three others were also arrested on Saturday - including a former member of Adeeb's security detail and a member of the army's bomb squad.

The Maldives Independent website said Adeeb's arrest had "surprised and enthralled many Maldivians".

BDST: 1642 HRS, OCT 24, 2015
SR