Theatre in Somalia Blasted by Al-Shabab Rebels

Abdiweli Mohamed Ali

Al-Shabab rebels claimed to be responsible for an explosion at Somalia’s newly reopened national theatre in Mogadishu. So far the attack killed four people and left dozens of wounded, including two of the country’s top sports officials.

Among the casualties were the president of Somalia’s Olypmic committee and the president of its football federation, according to Shafici Mohyadin, the federation’s secretary.

Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, spokesman of al-Shabab military operations stated, “We were behind the theatre blast. We targeted the infidel ministers and legislators, and they were the casualties of today.”

A suspected suicide bomber exploded at a celebration for Somali TV where Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the Somali prime minister and several government officials. The theatre had been recently been reopened on March 19, this act was hailed by the government as a signal of improvement in security in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa country. (AV)