Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Shebab claims bomb attack on Somalia plane

-

Somalia's Shebab insurgents on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month.

On February 2, Shebab "mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti," said a statement issued by the group.

It is the first time the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab have claimed an attack against an airliner and shows the group was able to get around the heavy security at Mogadishu's airport, if it was indeed responsible for the bombing.

The Shebab said the attack was "retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia."

The blast left a metre-wide (three-foot) hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines plane shortly after it took off from Somalia's main airport, killing the suspected bomber and forcing an emergency landing.

Two of the 74 passengers aboard were slightly injured.

Explosion on a Somalia airliner
Explosion on a Somalia airliner
Alain BOMMENEL, Philippe MOUCHE, Jonathan STOREY, AFP

A passenger believed to be the bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam, was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.

The man had initially intended to board a Turkish Airlines flight but the Turkish plane did not turn up and Daallo Airlines agreed to fly the passengers onwards to Djibouti.

Somali intelligence officials have released surveillance footage appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which the bomb was concealed.

At least 15 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Turkish Airlines is one of the only major international airlines to fly regularly to Mogadishu.

The city's airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital's main base of the African Union mission to Somalia, the 22,000-strong force backing the government in the battle against Islamist Shebab insurgents.

According to several aeronautics experts, the explosion was not more deadly because it happened at a low altitude shortly after take off, when the cabin had not yet been pressurised.

"This validates the procedure -- when there are suspicions of a bomb aboard -- to descend to an altitude where the air is breathable... before landing the plane as quickly as possible," airplane security expert Xavier Tytleman told AFP previously.

While the Shebab has been East Africa's longtime Al-Qaeda-affiliate, some factions reportedly split to pledge their allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.

IS claimed it had smuggled a bomb on board a Russian airliner that went down in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board the plane as it flew over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula en route to Saint Petersburg.

Somalia’s Shebab insurgents on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month.

On February 2, Shebab “mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti,” said a statement issued by the group.

It is the first time the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab have claimed an attack against an airliner and shows the group was able to get around the heavy security at Mogadishu’s airport, if it was indeed responsible for the bombing.

The Shebab said the attack was “retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia.”

The blast left a metre-wide (three-foot) hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines plane shortly after it took off from Somalia’s main airport, killing the suspected bomber and forcing an emergency landing.

Two of the 74 passengers aboard were slightly injured.

Explosion on a Somalia airliner

Explosion on a Somalia airliner
Alain BOMMENEL, Philippe MOUCHE, Jonathan STOREY, AFP

A passenger believed to be the bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam, was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.

The man had initially intended to board a Turkish Airlines flight but the Turkish plane did not turn up and Daallo Airlines agreed to fly the passengers onwards to Djibouti.

Somali intelligence officials have released surveillance footage appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which the bomb was concealed.

At least 15 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Turkish Airlines is one of the only major international airlines to fly regularly to Mogadishu.

The city’s airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital’s main base of the African Union mission to Somalia, the 22,000-strong force backing the government in the battle against Islamist Shebab insurgents.

According to several aeronautics experts, the explosion was not more deadly because it happened at a low altitude shortly after take off, when the cabin had not yet been pressurised.

“This validates the procedure — when there are suspicions of a bomb aboard — to descend to an altitude where the air is breathable… before landing the plane as quickly as possible,” airplane security expert Xavier Tytleman told AFP previously.

While the Shebab has been East Africa’s longtime Al-Qaeda-affiliate, some factions reportedly split to pledge their allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.

IS claimed it had smuggled a bomb on board a Russian airliner that went down in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board the plane as it flew over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula en route to Saint Petersburg.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Social Media

Do you really need laws to tell you to shut this mess down?

World

Former US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in New York City - Copyright POOL/AFP Curtis MeansDonald Trump met with former Japanese prime...

World

Experts say droughts and floods that are expected to worsen with climate change threaten the natural wealth of Colombia, one of the world’s most...

Entertainment

Actors Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz star in "The Heart of Rock and Roll" on Broadway.