Africa Review
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Somalia's immigration department will deport a British passport
holder seized at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on
Tuesday.
But the department's director, Gen Abdullahi Gafow Mohamoud did not say when the UK national would be deported.
At a press conference Thursday at the airport, Gen Mohamoud accused Dennis, 45, of being in Somalia to aid Al-Shabaab militants.
"Through
investigations, we realised that Clive Dennis came to this country to
fuel the hostilities orchestrated by Al-Qaeda," he said.
The
Briton was apprehended at the airport after declaring a suspicious
travel itinerary. He had no entry visa to Somalia and claimed that he
was a Muslim trying to help fellow Muslims in Somalia.
"We also
discovered that he could neither speak Somali and Arabic languages nor
knew anything about Koran (Muslim’s Holy Text)," said the agency head.
His luggage also raised suspicion. "He (Clive Dennis) was in possession
of many types of rope for strangling people, anti-smoking chewing gums,
credit cards and knives."
The seized man declared that he came from
London through Kenya. According to security officials at the airport,
Dennis holds a British passport with serial number 3004545431.
“We
will investigate the matter thoroughly," said Col Abdullahi Hassan
Barise, the commander of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
This
incident occurs at a time the British government has warned its
citizens against joining Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda groups in Somalia.