Somalia releases army officials arrested over hotel attack

Somali government forces assess the scene of a suicide car explosion in front of the SYL hotel in the capital Mogadishu January 22, 2015.

Hiiraan Online
Wednesday, June 17, 2015

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MOGADISHU (HOL) — A military court in the Somali capital has ordered the release of four army officials who were arrested in connection with a hotel bombing that killed at least 15 people on early this year.

Hassan Ali Nur, Somalia’s military court chairperson who presided the court session on Tuesday, said the court made the decision to free the officials after the prosecuting attorney failed to present enough evidence to back up the charges leveled against the defendants.

The four high ranking officials among 12 officials from the police and intelligence were arrested after a suicide attack targeted SYL hotel that hosted Turkish delegation who arrived in the city ahead of an official visit by the Turkish president Raccep Tayyeb Erdogan in January.

Other officials were later released after days of investigations.

Attacks by the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab group often draw waves of public anger directed at the security forces who despite challenges struggling to contain attacks.

Somali government has arrested hundreds of suspected militants in jails, with the convicted alleged criminals often get death sentences.

Government officials often use the death penalty as a method to deter militants from carrying out attacks.

Meanwhile, the military court has also sentenced two government soldiers to death after being convicted of killing civilians.

Rights group often accuse Somali military courts of falling short of international fair trial standards" by executing defendants without due process, expressing concern on the “speed at which death sentences have been carried out”.

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