The president and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim departed from Maldives Thursday afternoon to Thailand -- his first state visit to the Southeast Asian country popular among Maldivian businessmen. After concluding the state visit, the president and the first lady are reportedly scheduled to visit Singapore on an unofficial visit. This is the first visit overseas trip undertaken by the president after a series of recent assassination attempts on him, including a blast on a presidential speedboat. President Yameen and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim were travelling to Male from the airport on September 28 when the explosion took place. They had returned home that morning after concluding their visit to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage. The president was unhurt, but the first lady suffered a spinal fracture. Then Vice President Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor was arrested on October 24 upon return from an official visit to China and taken to the police detention centre in the island of Dhoonidhoo in Kaafu atoll. He is accused of orchestrating a recent blast aboard the presidential speedboat now confirmed as an attempt to kill the president. The former vice president, however, denies the charges. Apart from the blast police last week arrested three over another recent assassination plot on the president that involved a sniper brought into Maldives from Sri Lanka. Reports of the Sri Lankan sniper’s arrest came a day after Maldivian security forces confiscated assault rifles and hand guns in what has been the biggest weapons bust in the country’s history. The weapons had been seized from Hibilhadhoo island in Baa Atoll being developed as a resort. The army had confirmed that two assault rifles found in the weapons bust belonged to the state armoury. The items showcased during a press conference included several hand guns, a T56 assault rifle and a MP5 sub-machine gun. In addition, a large quantity of bomb making material were also displayed at the press briefing. Maldives declared a month-long state of emergency last month after the discovery of a bomb near the presidential palace. The state of emergency was, however, later cut short after a week. Maldives military had confirmed that the suspected device found in a vehicle parked near the presidential residence of Muliaage in capital Male was an improvised explosive device which had been subsequently been diffused.