Besieged leader commandeers air force jet and flees to Maldives, apparently en route to UAE, hours ahead of deadline to step down
The Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had fled to the Maldives on a military jet within hours before he was due to resign, following days of extraordinary scenes including his presidential palace and office being taken over by anti-government protesters.
The airforce confirmed that Rajapaksa, his wife and two security guards boarded a military aircraft in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after he invoked executive powers to enable his escape.
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