Somali truck bomb suspects appear in military court

Five suspects are facing charges in connection with the truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu last year which killed more than 500 people, Radioshabelle reported yesterday.

Making their first appearance before a military court, the five men were named as Hassan Adan Isack, the driver of a second vehicle; alleged bomber Ali Yussuf Ways; Abdiweli Ahmed Dirie, Al-Shabaab’s explosive expert in Mogadishu; Muktar Mohamed, who is accused of masterminding the attack; and Abdullahi Abdi Warsame. The trial was adjourned until Thursday to allow prosecutors time to complete the compilation of their evidence, said Garowe Online.

On 14 October last year, a truck bomb exploded outside a busy hotel in Mogadishu; it was followed by a second blast in a market two hours later. Five hundred and twelve Somali civilians were killed in the attacks.

Al-Shabaab, a group which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2012, regularly conducts improvised explosive attacks in civilian areas but has still not claimed responsibility for these bombs. Nevertheless, the Somali Federal Government has accused it of the killings.

According to the Guardian, the truck bomber was a former Somali soldier whose hometown was raided by US troops in August. The October bombings may have been carried out in revenge for the botched raid in which 10 civilians were killed.

Somalia has a high risk of terrorism, with Al-Shabaab located across the south of the country and Daesh growing stronger in the north-west.

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