COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Maldives president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, survived an assassination attempt Tuesday when a boy scout grabbed the knife of an attacker who jumped out of a crowd of people greeting the president, a government spokesman said.
"This fellow in the crowd with a knife in his hand attempted to stab the president in his stomach," Mohammad Shareef told The Associated Press by telephone. "But a 15-year-old boy came in the way and grabbed the knife. One brave boy saved the president's life."
He said Gayoom was unhurt but that there was a small cut on his shirt as the attacker, during a struggle with the boy, tried to take a second attempt. The attacker was overpowered by security men as well.
"There was blood on the president's shirt but it was not his but the boy's. Still we got a physician to examine him," Shareef said.
Gayoom, 70, has ruled this Indian Ocean atoll of 1,190 coral islands since 1978 and helped turn it into a major destination for tourists seeking a quiet vacation on virgin beaches surrounded by crystal blue waters. But he has also faced opposition protests to his previously unchallenged rule in recent years.
Shareef said the attacker is a resident of Hoarafushi islet where Gayoom was visiting.
"We believe that there could be a political motive," Shareef said, but stopped short of naming suspects.
The teen boy scout, whose name was given only as Jaisham, who had lined up to welcome Gayoom, was flown in to capital, Male, for treatment, Shareef said.
"His wound was stitched but later he complained that he could not move some of his fingers so he was flown by a sea plane to Male," he said.
After the attack, Gayoom addressed the nation in a radio broadcast, thanking the teenager and calling for calm, according to the website of the Minivan newspaper.
"We should not resort to violence even if we have differences between the parties," Gayoom was quoted as saying.
The country has had its share of turmoil in recent months.
On Sept. 29, a homemade bomb blamed on Islamic militants exploded in a park in the capital, Male, wounding 12 tourists. A week later, police and soldiers raided an island that was a reputed insurgent stronghold, sparking a battle with masked men armed with clubs and fishing spears that wounded more than 30 security officers.
Under pressure, Gayoom has legalized opposition parties and agreed to hold the nation's first truly democratic election later this year.
