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Al-Shabaab militant, two children die after bomb explodes in his house

Al Shabaab soldiers sit outside a building on the streets of Dayniile district in Southern Mogadishu on March 5, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

By Hassan Mohamed | 28 Apr 2024

Police said his wife survived the blast and they hope she will help to unravel what happened during the incident once she is treated.

An Al-Shabaab member and his two children died on Saturday after a bomb he was assembling went off in his house in Elasha Biyaha, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, police have confirmed.

Police said his wife survived the blast and they hope she will help to unravel what happened during the incident once she is treated.

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Police also found other bomb-making materials in the house and a rickshaw motorbike believed to have been used to carry the materials.

“An Al-Shabaab terrorist was trying to assemble a bomb to harm the public. The bomb went off on him killing him and unfortunately his two young innocent children. His wife was injured and is receiving treatment under tight security,” Somalia's Police Spokesperson Maj. Abdifatah Adan Hassan told State media.

Meanwhile, Maj. Abdifatah also confirmed multiple explosions that rocked several Mogadishu neighbourhoods were actually caused by fireworks concealed in plastic bags by Al-Shabaab meant to create fear among the public.

"We want to confirm to the public the loud explosion-like bang heard in several areas in Mogadishu last evening were just fireworks put in plastic bags," he said.

"After failing to pass their bombs through the man checkpoints in and around Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab has resorted to sneaking in these fireworks and throwing them at dump sites in order to scare the public. Our bomb squad has confirmed they are not explosives."

Local media confirmed two teenagers were wounded in the incident.

Since his re-election in May 2022, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared a total war on Al-Shabaab. Government forces with help from friends of Somalia including Kenya, have pushed Al-Shabaab out of many towns.