2009 Beledweyne bombing

2009 Beledweyne bombing
The Hiiraan region of Somalia, where the attacks occurred (highlighted dark red)
Location	Beledweyne, Hiiraan, Somalia
Date	June 18, 2009
Weapons	suicide car bomb
Deaths	35
Perpetrators	al-Shabaab

The 2009 Beledweyne bombing took place on June 18, 2009 in Beledweyne, Hiiraan, Somalia. A suicide bomber carried out the attack, detonating an explosives-laden vehicle at the front gate of the Medina Hotel. The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) minister of planning and internal cooperation, Abdulahi Godah who was in Beledweyne, told Somalia Report that the intended target was the Hotel Madina, where many TFG cabinet and senior officials were staying. The driver of the van was reportedly shot before reaching the gate of the complex, upon which he detonated the vehicle. ^[1] The blast killed 35 people, among them the Somali security minister Omar Hashi Aden, former Somali ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union Abdikarim Farah,^[2] and several Somali diplomats. The al-Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack.^[3]

The suicide bomber, who later had his name released by al-Shabaab, was 25 year old Mohamed Abdi Hassan, who wrote in a letter prior to the attack that it was "good to fight enemies and I am very happy that I am going to cause death to many of them", adding that he "hoped that other young al-Shabaab fighters will follow in my footsteps".

Arrests

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia, along with the help of Ethiopian troops, captured 10 men linked to the group al-Shabaab, who were planning to carry out more terror attacks but failed. TFG official Abdi Wahid Mowlid said "Definitely there will be a massive crackdown and operations to hunt any remaining fighters hiding in Beledweyne."

References

Coordinates: 4°44′N 45°12′E / 4.733°N 45.200°E / 4.733; 45.200