Bomb attack on former Maldives president linked to Islamic extremists, police say

FILE PHOTO: Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed leaves a private apartment in Sri Lanka to return in his country, after living in exile between London and Colombo for over two and a half years, Colombo, Sri Lanka November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo

MALE (Reuters) -Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is conscious after life-saving surgery, his family said on Saturday, as police made two arrests in connection with a blast they said was being treated as a terror attack.

Nasheed, the president of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party and the current parliament speaker, was critically injured after a bomb exploded as he left his family home in the capital Malé on Thursday.