Somali security forces have arrested the former planning and international cooperation minister and outspoken government critic, Abdirahman Abdishakur, in a raid on his home in Mogadishu’s western suburb on Wadajir, security sources reported today.
The Somali MP, Abdelfattah Ibrahim, told reporters that “the Somali’s special government forces have raided Abdishakur’s house overnight and arrested him clashing with his bodyguards.”
“The security forces arrested the former minister although he was wounded,” Ibrahim, who witnessed the arrest, noted, adding that “he was transferred to an unknown location.”
Four of Abdishakur’s bodyguards were killed during the raid, he pointed out.
The attack came hours after the Attorney General Ahmed Ali Dahir accused two MPs of being bribed by a foreign country “to undermine the Somali government.” Dahir described Abdishakur’s house as a hub for the opposition and a gathering point for people “who want to collapse the government.”
The spokesman of the Somali internal security ministry, Abdiasis Ali, told reporters at a news conference, that Abdishakur was arrested for treason without giving more details.
“The former minister was legally arrested by decree from the attorney general and internal security minister. He was accused of treason. His guards fought the security forces,” Ali said.
Abdishakur was a candidate in the Somali 2016 presidential election and is one of the prominent opponents to the current Somali government.
Source: Middleeast Monitor
