MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said on Saturday that authorities had detained a number of people, including officers on suspicion of abetting Al-Shabaab gun and bomb attack on a seaside hotel in Mogadishu on Friday, that has left nearly 40 people dead and dozens more wounded.
Speaking after visiting Turkish-run Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu, where patients suffering from injuries sustained in the assault are being treated, Barre asserted that officials in charge of the security in the area where the attack had taken place will be held accountable and will face justice.
The attack drew a social media backlash against the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with questions swirling around how armed militant gunmen carrying explosives had managed to pass through dozens of security checkpoints without detection before carrying out the assault, which hit a heavily crowded area housing a number of beach resorts. The area is also frequented by government and security officials.
Videos circulated online appear to show dogs eating the remains of the blast victims, in what critics of Mohamud’s government say vividly illustrates gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the authorities.
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