Two traumatically abducted and interrogated over a meme and threatened

Whether you share my beliefs or not, whether you agree with my convictions and stances or not, whether you like my works or not, or whether you have a good opinion of me or not, consider reading this from start to end. This is not about religion or petty death threats; this is about the actual, realistic dangers all Maldivians face – from the average person to the poor and elite.

Yesterday morning, just before lunch time (in Male’), I received some messages on my Facebook page. Someone who called himself Tarzan WoWo (Leandro) on Facebook was sending me messages incessantly. Before I reproduce those messages, here is a picture of person available on his Facebook profile. Just in case he decides to remove it later.

From this post on Facebook page Resist I was, however, able to get a clear picture of his face.

From this Police tweet from 8th April 2016, we know that his name is Abdulla Naasih. He was 20 years last year. He would now be 21 years of age. He is from Ga. Atoll, Kodey Island, and his home is Dhaarul Garaaru.

We also know from the link in the Police tweet that he is a felon who has been tagged with an electronic “MoniCon” bracelet which is used to monitor the whereabout of some criminals in the country. The tagging can be done by order of the courts.

We also know from this criminal court document that he also had a court hearing against him on 28th November 2016. His name appears on page 4 as the last entry. The case against him was “causing bodily harm to a person.” No other details are provided.

He responds to the police tweet by tweeting at them asking for a better picture to be included and then goes on to provide a clearer picture of how he likes himself to be seen as. In the tweet, he says “people will think what you want them to think about me (with that picture). Put this photo instead rather than the current photo (referring to the mugshot).

From his cover image on Facebook, we can tell that he is very proud of the gang that he is affiliated with.

Masodi Gang is now parading around as a Sports Club like many of the gangs in the country. It’s an easy cover for all the gangs in the country.

Below are the screenshots of the messages that I got from this guy earlier today; He spoke in Dhivehi while I spoke in English. I have paraphrased translations after every screenshot below. I am only able to bring this story because this radicalized gangster felt the need to gloat and brag about his handy work to someone. And he picked me thinking I have something to do with the meme pages (been getting a lot of that lately).

In the first messages he says;

Tarzan: Not very good huh? All talk frothing at the mouth. Ultimately that video had to be deleted after bragging about how you all want to “fly like a bird and die like a hero”. It had my picture in it.

Tarzan: You can make bubbles while you stay abroad (sends a screenshot). Tell the people that run this page.

Note: I was going to say “I am not sure it was deleted by them” but had gotten autocorrected to “I am sure it was deleted by them”.

Tarzan: Ask them about the video. Whether it got deleted after reporting or whether they deleted themselves.

Tarzan: (sends two screenshots) Ask these people then.

He then responds to my comment about being someone’s tool by saying “ Yes. Slaves of Allah. We know that”

Tarzan: Bwahaha. Give my regards to the kids who cried last night. You can only be strong while being overseas.

My comments.

Tarzan: When we get our hands on you, you will be also just like your boys last night.

Tarzan: Yeah. You are the one who knows (everything).

My comments.

Tarzan: I also don’t know. You would like to know very much, wouldn’t you?

Tarzan: Hahaha. I am really just a young guy. I will always be on the streets even if I am young or older.

My comment.

Tarzan: Free like a bird.

My comments.

Tarzan: You don’t have balls or anything else.

My comment.

Tarzan: Drugs my ass. I am not mad like you.

My comments…

Tarzan: Do you think everyone on the streets is an addict?

My comments…

Tarzan: I am not mad like you. Where are your balls you can’t come to Male’?

Tarzan: I wouldn’t be hiding even after doing something.

My comments…

Tarzan: (If you are so scared) don’t do things. Hahaha. Do you think we sell drugs for a living?

Tarzan: We go to jobs and earn our own living.

My comment.

Tarzan: Your best part is talking while in hiding. Isn’t it? Bark like a dog.

My comment.

Tarzan: Hahaha. You are hiding because you are gay (implying coward).

Tarzan: Afraid of Jail. Afraid of the cops. Afraid of kids on the street.

My comment.

Tarzan: Who stay high overseas without coming to the Maldives.

Tarzan: Taking LSD and other things.

My comment: Masodi gang can fuck-off.

Tarzan: You can only say all that while being far away. That’s all that everyone does.

My comments.

Tarzan: All you people want is not to go to jail, not to get hurt and still talk. That’s how gays are.

My comment.

Tarzan: why are you talking to an idiot if you think I am?

Tarzan: Even if you live 1000 years, there is no happiness for you when you die. 1000 years is a small time period.

My comment: Yeah you are so great bullying young kids.

Tarzan: You don’t know. The two FB profiles I just sent, they are older than me.

My comment: Do you think you get something great when you die? Everybody just rots in the end.

Tarzan: You will see what rot is. I don’t mess with kids. That’s what you think. You don’t even know that they both are 22.

My comment.

Tarzan: You don’t even know the age of your boys. (he really thinks those two guys they abducted was working for me. And that was why he was messaging me. To gloat at how clever he is).

My comment.

My comment.

Tarzan: You should see how they pissed themselves after all that talk on FB.

My comment.

Tarzan: You are still by far more scared than they were. I really hope you live a long life. (sarcasm?)

My comment.

Tarzan: 100 plus

My comments.

Tarzan: You could die right at this moment while you are talking.

My comments.

Tarzan: So don’t mess with people like me

Tarzan: Look, it’s gonna be better for you too. I’d have to mess with you because you mess with me for nothing.

My comments: Just watch how I mess with you.

Tarzan: If you keep quiet I don’t have to mess with you. But don’t mess around being far away like a gay.

My comment.

Tarzan: It’s a dirty thing

My comment.

Tarzan: That is very dirty.

My comment: You and I don’t think alike, I don’t share the same values as you.

Tarzan: Hahaha. You can’t do anything. You can only talk being far away. You can’t do anything else.

At this point, I stopped talking to the guy. He would later block me from Facebook as well.

——

I then messaged the Meme page in question. Raajjethere Adventures of Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom and Friends. I approached them directly about the kidnapping incident, with the screenshots and identities of those Tarzan provided. Sadly, I was unable to retrieve the desired amount of information, as there are still questions that I don’t know, but they have answered all the core questions.

Below I am publishing screenshots of the conversation I had with this page. The whole conversation happened in English.

Here I am publishing the screenshots passed to me by Raajjethere Adventures of Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom and Friends about the conversation they had with one of the abducted persons. It was Maisam Moosa Ali that they forced to message the meme page.

The other person they were holding captive was Zakwaan Asim (Zaki). I understand them both to have been freed by their abductors after the video was deleted. Sources who would like to remain anonymous tell me that the abductees were released and left on “good terms”, and wanted to “pass it away as a misunderstanding” as none of the parties wish to be further involved. I suspect this, as Tarzan (Abdulla Naasih) did say they were “silenced”.

This is the video that was first published by Raajjethere Adventures of Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom and Friends and later removed under duress. I had come across the video when it was first published last week. I noticed that it was the very first-time gangsters were being used in a satirical meme video publicly and noticed the attention it was getting on social media. For whatever reason, instead of simply observing, I decided to download and save the good ones to my Google Drive. Just like everyone else, I knew these rash toying around will not end well, even if they were just memes. But  I never expected to be re-uploading it onto my Youtube channel and posting it on a blog post about an abduction, or what possibly may have been one.

At this point, I needed to know more about this Abdulla Naasih aka Tarzan WoWo. So I looked searched for him on Twitter and found his Twitter account.

On Twitter, he describes himself as, “Slave of Allah” as you can see from the image below; Also notice the hand gesture next to the Slave of Allah description. It’s the finger symbol of Tawhid. It’s very common for Islamist militants and ISIS members to be photographed with their index finger pointing upwards.

Below are some of his Islamist tweets;

In the Tweet below, he says: “Why are you not jailing people who say things against the religion? Why are they not being punished?”

It was interesting to note that he had commentary regarding Yameen’s murder as well. In the Tweet below he says: “It is a bigger danger to not punish those who mock the religion”

The quoted tweet says: “People giving encouragement to those who killed Yameen in the name of religion is a national security risk”

In this tweet, he says: “Islam does not come after people asking them to learn it. People have to go after the religion to learn it if they want to”.

In this tweet, he says: “You won’t know what Islam is by watching TV. Or doing your O’level. Or A’ levels. Don’t open your mouth if you don’t know the religion. Only those who seek will know the religion”.

In this tweet, he says: “Do you not know why it can’t be stopped? This is the end times. Bloodshed will increase. Not even @PoliceMv or even if the whole world tried to stop it. @Lucasjalyl”

If this does not sound suspicious, it’s ridiculous. It also clearly and outrightly supports murder and bloodshed – and this is conveniently coming from a known convict who has “caused bodily harm” to someone, as we know from the police records.

The quoted tweet says: “Why are people being killed? Why can’t it be stopped? How many families has to face this sorrow? Stand up for justice”

The image in the quoted tweet shows both the mothers of Yameen Rasheed and Ahmed RIlwan.

In the tweet below, he posts an image that has screenshots of Yameen Rasheed’s tweets and some writings from his blog.

The Dhivehi language comment in the image says “People who know him (Yameen) knows this. Below are two tweets of blasphemy”

With this image, he tweets: “We should not pray for a person like this. When will the Maldivians realize this”

The day after Yameen’s murder he was “inconvenienced” that their gang area was being monitored by the Police – He tweets: “Whenever something happens in Male’, Police knows to put checkposts only near Masodi ge. Stop being personal and work for the nation” (Note: the gang Masodi is named after the house Masodi ge)

In this next tweet he says “Whenever something happens in Male’, do the police only see ‘Masodi’? (referring to his gang) Arrest them wherever you see them?”

Two weeks before Yameen’s murder this ominous tweet appeared;

At this point, all Maldivians should be very concerned. All these gangs are normalized in the country as sports clubs. Their members are radicalized and operates systematically; they have infiltrated the judiciary and society and they are openly abducting people and even killing people to achieve dominance. The police doesn’t care, doesn’t do anything, and/or maybe directly involved. The people are left to fend for themselves.

At this point, when people are being abducted and interrogated for things as little as joking around, and cannot safely rely on the authorities, do people not need to band up and seize their own basic safety and wellbeing?

NOTE: At the time of this post, the meme page Raajjethere Adventures of Yaameen Abdul Gayyoom and Friends was offline. It wasn’t offline when I talked to them. I am unable to verify what had happened to the page.

FURTHER EDITORIAL NOTE: The “jobs” that all these gangsters are referring to, is working at the Maldives Ports Limited. If anyone looks close enough, you will all realize how many gangs related persons are being employed by the Ports Authority where they are effectively around cargo clearing. It enables drugs, illegal weapons and other contraband to enter the country without being checked. Don’t believe me? Go look for yourself.

UPDATE: This post was unpublished 48 hours after publishing it first on 6th June because of sustained threats by the members of Masodi gang and their sympathizers. I am republishing this now again, after securing my safety.