MALE, MALDIVES:  The president of the Maldives has appealed for calm in the wake of the arrest of his deputy on suspicion of links to what authorities call an assassination attempt and says the decision was made in the best interests of the country.

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Sunday spoke to some media about the arrest of Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb, which came Saturday after he returned from an official visit to China. Police took him directly to a detention center from the airport.

Gayoom was unhurt when an explosion went off on his speedboat on Sept. 28 as he was traveling to the capital from the airport at the end of a hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.