Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in the country on Wednesday. The move gives absolute powers to security forces to arrest suspects ahead of a major anti-government protest rally, reported Agence France-Presse.

A presidential spokesperson tweeted, "Maldives declares state of emergency for a period of 30 days starting 12 pm Wednesday." The country has been in a state of political turmoil following a blast on the president's boat on September 28. The vice-president, Ahmed Adeeb, had been arrested for the suspected "assassination attempt", a charge which he has rejected.

Former president Mohamed Nasheed, who lost the 2013 presidential election to Yameen, had been jailed for 13 years in March on charges of terrorism. US and human rights groups have called the case politically motivated, with the United Nations asking for his release.