1988 coup conspirator, Abdulla Luthufee has been extradited to the Maldives with the assistance of Maldives Police Service.

Emirates flight EK653, from which he was traveling back to the Maldives landed in Velana International Airport at 9:05pm.

He will arrive through the same terminal as the general public, from where he will be escorted to Police Headquarters, Shaheed Hussain Adam Building.

Police revealed that after Luthufee is presented to their Head Quarters, necessary documentation will be completed after which he will be handed over to Maldives Correctional Services tonight.

Even though Police claim that Luthufee surrendered to the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka voluntarily on May 1, Speaker of Parliament said that it was one day before the terror attacks that rocked Sri Lanka back in April. Police explained the delay in the extradition by revealing that certain documents required from the government of Sri Lanka was pending. The delay was mainly caused by the aftershock of the terror attacks in Lanka.

Luthufee was allowed to travel to neighboring Sri Lanka on 16th January 2010 for medical purposes during former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration.

However, he went into hiding during the trip and has been residing in Sri Lanka for the past nine years as a fugitive.