GETTY Maldives are in a state of emergency following a suspected assassination attempt on Abdulla Yameen

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Citing a threat to national security, the foreign ministry said on its official Twitter feed that the state of emergency would remain in force for 30 days. Umar Naseer, minister of home affairs, confirmed to Reuters that the emergency had been declared. The string of tropical islands, home to 400,000 people and a favourite of tourists, has been in turmoil since a Sept. 28 blast on board President Abdulla Yameen's launch as it was about to dock at the capital Male.

State of Emergency declared to protect national security & the security of people in the country — MFA-Maldives (@MDVForeign) November 4, 2015

GETTY Yameen was unhurt but his wife and two aides were injured in the blast, which happened in Male

Further investigations showed a high probability that these people have weapons and explosives Ali Ihusaan, Maldives National Defence Force

Yameen was unhurt but his wife and two aides were injured in the blast, which the government quickly said was an assassination attempt. The authorities have since uncovered stashes of weapons believed to have been hidden by Yameen's opponents, leading the police to recommend the imposition of a state of emergency under Article 253 of the constitution. "Further investigations showed a high probability that these people have weapons and explosives," Ali Ihusaan, a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) official, told a news conference. "There is every possibility that these things will be seen again, and so we advised on this action," he said.

Google Maps The Maldives is in the Indian Ocean, 611.23 miles from Sri Lanka