But the incident has raised serious questions about the airport security – both in Mogadishu and around the world – with Turkish Airlines temporarily cancelling flights to the Somalian capital.
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On February 2, Shebab “mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti”, said a statement issued by the group.
The jihadist group Al-Shabaab on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb that exploded a Somali passenger plane this month.
The attack failed on that front: the bomb detonated just 15 minutes after take-off, while the plane was only at 11,000 feet, and despite the hole in the plane’s fuselage it made a safe emergency landing in Mogadishu.
Authorities believe the laptop-like device was the bomb that caused the explosion. No other passengers were hurt after the pilot, Capt. Vladimir Vodopivec, quickly returned the plane to the airport. Footage released at the same time shows the inside of the cabin after the explosion. At least 20 people including the airport employee have been arrested in connection to the attack.
Turkish Airlines is one of the only major worldwide airlines to fly regularly to Mogadishu.
The group has vowed to continue such attacks, NBC reported.
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The passenger who was killed after getting blown out of the plane was identified by officials as Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh, 55.
