Al-Shabaab commander arrested from house near Villa Somalia

Since President Hassan Sheikh came to power in May, Al-Shabaab attacked three hotels – two in Mogadishu – Hayat and Villa Rays while the third one is Takawal hotel in Kismayo city.

News Keydmedia Online
4 December 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The security forces in Mogadishu successfully detained a senior Al-Shabaab commander who lived in a house near the heavily guarded presidential palace.

Sources within the police revealed to KON that the terrorist fell to the hands of the security agencies during an operation carried out following the Al-Shabaab attack at Villa Rays hotel.

The unnamed commander’s arrest came after a tip-off from the residents who suspected his movement. He used different IDs to pass through the security checkpoints to Villa Somalia.

During the raid on his house, the police found documents showing the map of the state house and the Al-Shabaab target positions, including hotels, according to the sources.

He is suspected to have played role in the facilitation of the recent Villa Rays hotel siege which was a complex attack that took the security forces for at least 20 hours to end.

The assault raised eyebrows in Villa Somalia as it showed that top leaders’ life is at risk due to the Al-Shabaab’s access to bring bombs and attackers near the presidential palace.

KON learned that two presidential guard members were arrested on suspicion of helping the Al-Shabaab commander find a house in the high-security green zone area in the capital.

It’s believed that Al-Shabaab could not stage the Villa Rays hotel attack without cooperation and facilitation within the security agencies that passed the five attackers to their target.

One bomber blew himself up at the gate of the hotel, allowing four militants to enter the building, where they fought off the security forces for nearly one-day long.

The attack left nine people dead and wounded over a dozen, including the country’s security minister Doodishe, who was among several ministers and MPs attending a meeting on Gedo.

Since President Hassan Sheikh came to power in May, Al-Shabaab attacked three hotels – two in Mogadishu – Hayat and Villa Rays while the third one is Takawal hotel in Kismayo city.

The raids seemed to be a response to the government offensive against Al-Shabaab, which is making territorial gains in central Somalia, mainly in Hiran, Galgadud, and Middle Shabelle.

KEYDMEDIA English