Kidnappers Of German Aid Worker In Sanag Linked To Extremist Group

Erigabo, Somaliland, February 16, 2008 (SL Times) – Five gunmen who were arrested in connection with last Tuesday’s kidnapping of a German aid worker in Somaliland’s Sanag region are now being investigated for possible links with the extremist Islamic group, Al-Shabab.

The five men have been accused of abducting Daniel Bronkal who worked for the NGO German Agro Action in an ambush against his car about 35km west of Erigabo.

Bronkal was freed by Somaliland’s security forces on late Tuesday evening.

The leader of the abductors, Hassan Salad Farah, was captured on Wednesday morning.

Farah who was injured during the police’s rescue operation, has later disclosed the identities of the remaining gunmen who took part in the kidnapping of Bronkal.

On Thursday four other suspects were seized by Somaliland villagers who in turn handed them over to the police.

According to sources close to the investigation, the kidnappers’ motive was to use Bronkal as hostage by trading his freedom for the release of a number of suspected terrorists from prisons in Somaliland.

The gunmen were understood to have been recruited by a Bosaso-based Al-Shabab officer known only by the nickname ‘Atom’.

However with the exception of Hassan Salad Farah who is from Bosaaso, all the remaining four suspects are from Somaliland.

At 19, Abdirahman Warsame Hayd is the youngest among the group of abductors while Abdi Abdillahi Ali, Mohamed Yusuf Hersi and Abdirahman Mohamed Nuh were said to be in their early twenties.

Source: Somaliland Times