Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on Monday before heavily armed troops stormed the country’s top court and a

former leader was arrested in a deepening political crisis.

The island nation has been plunged into chaos, with the president pitted against the Supreme Court after he refused to comply with its Thursday order to

release nine political dissidents.

The standoff comes amid a years-long government crackdown on dissent that has battered the image of the upmarket holiday paradise, with the president

jailing almost all the political opposition since he came to power in 2013.

On Monday, Maldives police arrested Yameen’s estranged half-brother and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had sided with the main opposition.

The 80-year-old — president for 30 years until the country’s first democratic elections in 2008 — was taken from his home in the capital Male around midnight on

Monday, according to a tweet from his daughter Yumna Maumoon.

“I have not done anything to be arrested,” Gayoom said in a video message to supporters posted on Twitter. “I urge you to remain steadfast in your resolve too.

We will not give up on the reform work we are doing.”

Heavily armed troops and police special operations units had earlier stormed the Supreme Court building where Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and others were

sheltering, the court said on Twitter, though their fate was not immediately clear.

Hundreds of people had gathered outside the courts complex and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The court’s shock move on Thursday had

also ordered the government to restore the seats of 12 legislators sacked for defecting from Yameen’s party.

The opposition now has the majority in the assembly — meaning they could potentially impeach the president. But the government, which has ordered police and

troops to resist any attempt to arrest or impeach Yameen, said the court was not above the law.

“The Supreme Court ruling stands in defiance of the highest authority in the country: the constitution,” spokesman Ibrahim Hussain Shihab said in a statement.

“The Supreme Court must remember that it too is bound by law.”

He said the government would “facilitate calm” and ensure the safety of all citizens and tourists “throughout this unusual period”.

– ‘MARTIAL LAW’ –

In a blow to the regime, the court’s Thursday decision also paved the way for exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed — the first to be democratically

elected but who was controversially convicted of terrorism in 2015 — to run for president this year.

Yameen, who has faced several unsuccessful opposition attempts to impeach him for alleged corruption, responded by shuttering parliament and on Monday

his aide Azima Shukoor announced the state of emergency on national television.

The emergency declaration gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain individuals, curtails the powers of the judiciary and bars parliament

from impeaching Yameen. But it must be officially conveyed to parliament within two days, according to officials.

– US ‘TROUBLED’ –

Opposition legislators have also called on the international community to pressure Yameen. The United States said it was “troubled and disappointed” at reports

the leader had declared a state of emergency while calling on him to comply with the rule of law.

“Despite being elected in 2013 with the support of a broad coalition, President Yameen has systematically alienated his coalition, jailed or exiled every major

opposition political figure, deprived elected Members of Parliament of their right to represent their voters in the legislature, revised laws to erode human rights…

and weakened the institutions of government,” the State Department said in a statement.

– CONCERNED INDIA –

India has expressed concern over the recent political developments in the Maldives and asked its nationals to defer all non-essential travels to the Indian Ocean

nation until further notice. In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian expatriates in Maldives are also alerted to the need for heightened

security awareness, and urged to exercise due caution in public and avoid public gatherings.

Reacting to the development, India had said it was imperative for “all organs” of the Maldivian government to abide by the country’s Supreme Court order to

release all political prisoners “in the spirit of democracy”.

The United Nations, Australia, Britain, Canada, India and the US previously welcomed the court’s decision, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the

weekend called for “restraint” as the crisis escalated.