Somalia Airport Officials Dismissed Amid Human Trafficking, Terror Allegations Linked to Forged U.S. and UK Passports

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 31 October 2024 02:04

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Somalia Airport Officials Dismissed Amid Human Trafficking, Terror Allegations Linked to Forged U.S. and UK Passports

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Two senior Somali officials, in charge of Mogadishu airport security and immigration, were dismissed Thursday after allegations emerged linking them to a human trafficking network and potential terror connec

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(Left) Abdifatah Bashir Ali and (right) Ahmed Said Mohamed. Authorities suspect that Ali, who allegedly has terror links and human trafficking, had even traveled to the United States just months ago.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Two senior Somali officials, in charge of Mogadishu airport security and immigration, were dismissed Thursday after allegations emerged linking them to a human trafficking network and potential terror connections, according to senior police sources.

General Asad Osman, Somalia’s newly appointed police chief, fired Ahmed Said Mohamed, the head of Somali immigration, and Abdifatah Bashir Ali, responsible for Mogadishu Airport security.

Authorities suspect that Ali, who allegedly has terror links and human trafficking, had even traveled to the United States just months ago.

The investigation gained momentum after Somali parliament member Abdilahi Hashi Abib raised concerns about two young men recently detained at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport with forged documents.

The men—Mohamed Dahir Dhokol Hassan, traveling with a fake U.S. passport, and Abdalla Abdi Ali, with a forged British passport—were arrested in Addis Ababa and returned to Mogadishu on October 15 and 24 respectively.

The American and British documents are believed to have been fraudulently produced in Mogadishu, officials say.

Ethiopian Airlines alerted Mogadishu authorities, reporting that one passenger had originally booked to Cairo, Egypt after initially planning to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Upon their return, the two men were not detained, raising suspicions of collusion within Mogadishu’s airport security operations.

Member of Parliament, Abdillahi Abib voiced concerns, stating, "Our immigration officials at Aden Abdulle Airport shockingly allowed them to go free upon their return without notifying law enforcement or the Attorney General’s Office. This breach of protocol underscores severe lapses in our security and immigration processes.”

Abib added that such failures reveal corruption within Somalia’s airport security, particularly in the ranks of the National Intelligence (NISA) Airport, Immigration Airport, and National Police Airport.

"These lapses not only threaten our national security but could also lead other nations to impose travel restrictions, impacting thousands of Somali citizens who seek to travel legitimately,” he warned.

The threat of infiltration by the terror group Al-Shabaab has long loomed over Mogadishu Airport. A notable incident in February 2016 saw a Daallo Airlines flight suffer a mid-air explosion, later confirmed to be the result of an Al-Shabaab suicide bomber killing at least one person believed to be the bomber.

Intelligence reports indicate ongoing concerns that the group may be training for airline hijackings, posing additional regional threats.

Security experts underscore that the persistent corruption, abuse of power, and potential Al-Shabaab infiltration within Somali security forces hinder counter-terrorism protocols and regional safety.