Monday February 4, 2019
Gunman shot dead the head of Dubai government-owned P&O Ports’ operations in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Monday, a local government official said, and extremist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yusuf Mohamed, governor of Puntland’s Bari region told Reuters that two men disguised as fishermen had shot Paul Anthony Formosa as he was going to Bosaso port this morning.Al-Shabaab said it had carried out the attack and accused Formosa of being in Somalia illegally. “We are behind the operation ... we had warned him but he turned deaf ear.
He was illegally in Somalia,” said spokesman for Al-Shabaab’s military operations, Abdiasis Abu Musab.
This came as a huge blast was heard in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday and clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the scene of the blast, according to a Reuters witness.
It was unclear what caused the explosion.