Maldivians showered praise on a 15-year-old boy scout Wednesday who foiled an assassination attempt on the leader of their tiny nation by grabbing an attacker's knife.

Mohammed Jaisham Ibrahim instantly became a household name after a man jumped out of a crowd of well-wishers and lunged at President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Tuesday. The teenager suffered wounds to his hand in the scuffle.

"Jaisham our national hero saves the president," said the independent Midhu Daily newspaper in a headline.