Upon arrival in the Maldives, they were driven under police escort to an unknown location, an airport official in Male said.
The departure of the 73-year-old leader once known as ‘The Terminator’ was thwarted for more than 24 hours in a humiliating confrontation with immigration officials in Colombo.
He had planned to fly to Dubai on a commercial flight, but Bandaranaike International staff withdrew from VIP services and insisted that all passengers pass through public counters.
The presidential party was hesitant to go through mainstream channels for fear of public reaction, a security official said, and as a result missed four flights Monday that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.
Permission for a military flight to land in neighboring India was not immediately secured, a security official said, and at some point on Tuesday the group went to a naval base in order to flee by sea.