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The FBI has been called in to investigate a bombing in the Maldives that injured Chinese, Japanese and British tourists over the weekend. The Indian Ocean archipelago could be a crossroads for translational jihadists but has not been a target of foreign militants. This attack, then, probably was carried out by a local group -- one that has much to learn about the art of bombmaking.

The Maldivian government asked the FBI on Oct. 1 to assist in investigating a bombing that occurred two days earlier in the capital, Male, injuring a dozen foreign tourists but no Americans. Meanwhile, 11 suspects, including two Bangladeshis, are in police custody in connection with the attack, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. local time in Sultan Park, one of the capital’s main tourist areas. Two Japanese and eight Chinese tourists suffered minor burns in the blast, while two Britons were seriously burned.

Conditions in the Maldives could make the archipelago a prime transit point for transnational jihadists. Not only do its 1,200 small Indian Ocean islands offer many excellent hiding places, its security forces lack training in dealing with a militant threat. Transnational jihadists, however, generally would be reluctant to stage attacks in a place they use as a support and transit base. However, local militants, inspired by contact with the foreign elements, could be responsible for this bombing.