Man linked to deadly Somali blast executed

Somalia on Sunday executed a man linked to one of the country’s deadliest ever attacks, by firing squad, one year after the atrocity which left more than 500 dead, a court statement and police sources said.

Hundreds of Somalis gathered at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the attack in which a truck packed with explosives blew up at a busy intersection, destroying about 20 buildings in an apocalyptic scene in a city used to regular explosions at the hands of Islamist group al-Shabaab.

A year on, the al-Qaeda- linked group, which still governs large swaths of territory, has still failed to claim responsibility, which observers attribute to the outrage caused by the attack.

To coincide with the anniversary, a military court announced early on Sunday morning that a member of the team involved in the attack had been executed.

Hassan Adan Isak was sentenced to death for "driving one of the vehicles used in the blast", read a statement from the court.

"Today, the 14th October 2018, the death penalty was carried out against him." Isak was the driver of a vehicle that he parked near an airport checkpoint shortly after the truck exploded. There were no casualties in the second blast.

He was arrested for suspicious behaviour.

Police sources said he died by firing squad.

Business at the Zoope intersection has returned to normal, and some buildings have been reconstructed. A memorial tower has been erected in the middle of the intersection.

"All we can do is pray for them … I don’t think commemoration would bring them back to me, but I hope nothing like the October tragedy happens again," said Omar Haji Mohamed, a disabled father who lost two children in the blast.

Some frustrated residents said mourning would not solve the insecurity in the capital.

"I don’t think mourning is the right and sufficient answer to wipe the tears from the eyes of those who have lost their loved ones. These people were massacred, so the perpetrators need to be chased and eliminated," said Ali Adan, a Mogadishu resident who lost three friends.

Abdisalan Mohamed, 23, who lost his brother, agreed: "We can mourn as much as we can, but it will not bring back our relatives. All we need is justice and protection."

AFP