There is no evidence that last month's explosion aboard the Maldivian president's boat was caused by a bomb, the FBI said, contracting government allegations that have led to the arrest of the country's vice president and deepened the turmoil in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The Maldives' government has accused Vice president Ahmed Adeeb of plotting to assassinate President Ymeen Abdul Gayoom on September 28.
He escaped unhurt because he wasn't sitting in his usual seat on the boat, the government said. His wife, an aide and a bodyguard were injured.
The FBI said in a statement that the "submitted specimens were determined to be components from the boat and not the components of an improvised explosive device."
"Based on the FBI's analysis which included forensic analysis of the scene, analysis of the items recovered from the scene, and chemical testing there is no conclusive evidence to attribute the explosion on the boat to an IED," it added.
The Maldives sought assistance from the FBI, as well as investigators from Sri lanka, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
