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On November 3, 1988, a group of Maldivians assisted by a Sri Lankan militant organisation unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives.
Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthfee and Ahmed “Sagaru” Nasir, aided by Uma Maheswaran, leader of the Sri Lankan militant organisation, the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), and a group of 80 militants commanded by its leader Vasanthi, tried to overthrow the government of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in the Maldives.
04:00 hours: Malé, November 3, 1988
Then 28-years-old, Lt. Jaleel was woken up by the sound of gunfire in the National Security Service (NSS) barracks. As the officiating commander of the elite task force responsible for defending the NSS headquarters and other important government institutions, he and Lt. Adam Ibrahim Manik grabbed AK-47s from the taskforce weapons rack and two magazines, and started running towards the headquarters’ main entrance facing heavy firing.
Shortly after the confrontation started, Lt. Jaleel was struck by shrapnel from a grenade that severely injured his knee and leg. Just after news broke, the presidential security team moved President Gayoom and his family to a safe house.
In the darkness of the night, the militants had strategically taken over an empty office building located opposite the NSS headquarters some 20-25 feet away. 06:30 hours: New Delhi
India’s then High Commissioner to the Maldives, Arun Banerjee, was still asleep when the phone rang. It was an urgent call from Malé. There “had been incessant shooting and there were gunmen on the streets. They had attacked the National Security office and killed several people. The Maldivians were retaliating but they were outnumbered and outclassed. The gunmen, apparently Sri Lankan Tamils, were trying to capture the president and overthrow the government. Operation Cactus commenced….