Mogadishu: Somalia's intelligence agency today identified a suicide truck bomber who attacked a hotel in Mogadishu as a 30-year-old Somali who had lived in Germany but returned to join the Shabaab.
A statement from the National Security and Intelligence Agency (NISA) also said the death toll from the massive explosion on Sunday had risen to 17, with more than 10 others wounded.
"The attacker was 30-year-old Abdirasak Muse Buh. He was born in Tripoli in Libya, and lived in Bonn, Germany. Abdirasak returned to the country in 2012 through Egypt," the agency said in a statement.
It added that Abdirasak joined the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab in 2013 after being convinced to join by other members of the Somali diaspora.
The agency did not confirm if Abdirasak also held German nationality.
Sunday's attack ripped an outer wall from the six-storey Jazeera Palace Hotel, which was popular with government officials and foreign visitors and housed three diplomatic missions, including China's.
The Shabaab has a long history of attracting radicalised members of Somalia's far-flung diaspora as well as foreign fighters, although its appeal has been overshadowed in recently by the rise of the Islamic State and other newly ascendant jihadist groups.
The group is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.
Dual nationality Somalis have carried out numerous suicide attacks over the years, most recently in February when a Dutch-Somali man and woman blew themselves up at Mogadishu's Central Hotel killing at least 25 people.
A statement from the National Security and Intelligence Agency (NISA) also said the death toll from the massive explosion on Sunday had risen to 17, with more than 10 others wounded.
"The attacker was 30-year-old Abdirasak Muse Buh. He was born in Tripoli in Libya, and lived in Bonn, Germany. Abdirasak returned to the country in 2012 through Egypt," the agency said in a statement.
The agency did not confirm if Abdirasak also held German nationality.
Advertisement
The Shabaab has a long history of attracting radicalised members of Somalia's far-flung diaspora as well as foreign fighters, although its appeal has been overshadowed in recently by the rise of the Islamic State and other newly ascendant jihadist groups.
Advertisement
Dual nationality Somalis have carried out numerous suicide attacks over the years, most recently in February when a Dutch-Somali man and woman blew themselves up at Mogadishu's Central Hotel killing at least 25 people.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
37 Killed In Al-Shabaab Suicide Bomb Attack In Somalia's Capital "We Pay Taxes Like In England But Get Services Like In Somalia": AAP's Raghav Chadha Navy Warship INS Kolkata Carrying 35 Pirates, Caught Off Somalia, Reaches Mumbai Tear Gas Fired After Kolkata Protest Against Doctor's Rape-Murder Turns Violent 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Bangladeshi Students On Alert, To Remain On Streets To Resist Chaos India's 78th Independence Day: A Tribute By Google Doodle "Full Of Negativity...": PM Slams Opposition In Independence Day Speech Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.