China condemns bomb attack on Maldives Speaker Mohamed Nasheed

Nasheed, 53, was wounded in the blast on Thursday night outside his home and was being treated in a hospital in the capital, Male, police said.

“We strongly condemn this attack”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here.

“We express sincere condolences to the Parliament Speaker Nasheed. We wish him an early recovery,” the spokesman said.

Home Minister Imran Abdulla told a local television station that his injuries were not life-threatening.

Nasheed is the current Parliament speaker and was the first democratically elected president of the Indian Ocean island nation, from 2008 to 2012.

Maldives police said they treat the explosion as an act of terrorism but did not give details on possible suspects. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.