Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed was critical and in intensive care on Saturday after being wounded in an explosion that occurred on Thursday evening just outside his home, media reports said.

Nasheed, now the parliament speaker, has already undergone 16 hours of surgery to remove shrapnel from his lungs, liver, chest, abdomen and limbs after the attack.

Police say they have identified four suspects seen close to the attack, but no arrests had been made.

The Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) said a home-made bomb was used.

"The improvised explosive device was triggered using a remote control," an MNDF official told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US has volunteered to assist Maldives in bringing the perpetuators behind the attack to justice.

"We join President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in condemning this attack and all acts of terror, and stand ready to assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice," The US Department of State's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted.

Authorities have announced a team of the Australian Federal Police would arrive in the Maldives to assist the country’s agencies in investigating the case.

The blast occurred at around 8:39 pm and two officials of the Maldives National Defense forces, too, received serious injuries. Soon after the attack, the country’s President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih convened a cabinet meeting. 

Condemning the apparent attack on Nasheed, Solih called the act an “attack on Maldives democracy and economy.” He promised a "swift and thorough investigation" into the attack. 

Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the archipelago, is considered a champion of democracy there. 

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter and wrote, “Deeply concerned at the attack on Speaker Mohamed Nasheed. Know that he will never be intimidated.” 

As a moderate politician and defender of women’s rights, Nasheed has always pushed back extremism in the Muslim country. 

Earlier, Solih, too, had called “Islamic extremism” one of the gravest security threats for the country. Authorities in the country have recently cracked down on sleeper cells of various radical groups. 

Also, in recent years, the government has increased cooperation with foreign countries like India in counter-terrorism areas.   

(SAM)