Al-Shabaab Appoints New Suicide Bombing Chief Linked to Deadly Lido Beach Attack

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 21 December 2024 03:26

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Al-Shabaab Appoints New Suicide Bombing Chief Linked to Deadly Lido Beach Attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Yahye Ahmed Mohamud, also known as Zakariye and Mowlid, has been appointed as Al-Shabaab's head of suicide bombings for the Banadir region, including Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Somali intel sources fa

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(left) Yahye Ahmed Mohamud, also known as Zakariye and Mowlid, (right) The Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Yusuf Omar, popularly known as 'Al Adala'.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Yahye Ahmed Mohamud, also known as Zakariye and Mowlid, has been appointed as Al-Shabaab's head of suicide bombings for the Banadir region, including Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Somali intel sources familiar with the group's activities have now confirmed.

Yahye, a member of the Habargedir/Saleban clan, previously served as deputy of Al-Shabaab’s explosives unit under Mohamed Abdullahi of the Murusade/Hawiye clan.

He has been identified as the mastermind behind the devastating August 2 Lido Beach attack, according to Mogadishu intelligence sources.

The attack killed at least 37 civilians and injured 247 others when an explosion tore through a popular beachside restaurant in the Somali capital.

Somalia’s Health Minister, Dr. Ali Haji Adan, confirmed these figures and stated that 11 of the injured remain in critical condition.

Somali police spokesperson Abdifatah Hassan attributed the attack to Al-Shabaab’s explosives unit, but the revelation of Yahye Ahmed Mohamud as the key planner emerged only recently.

Yahye also played a significant role in Al-Shabaab’s 2019 Kismayo attack, which killed numerous civilians, including Canadian-Somali female TV personality Hodan Nalayeh and a local reporter Mohamed Sahal.

PHOTO: Lido Beach attack. | Reuters.

The Lido Beach bombing stands as Somalia’s deadliest attack since twin car bombings in October 2022, which claimed over 100 lives and injured 300 others near a bustling market intersection in the KM 5 area.

On August 4, 2024, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced the arrest of several senior government officers linked to the Lido Beach incident and pledged further arrests to ensure accountability for the victims.

"We have taken strict measures to hold accountable the officers who were on duty in the areas attacked, some of whom have been arrested,” Hamza said after visiting victims in the hospital.

Alarming Connections with Deputy Minister of Information

Yahye’s involvement in Al-Shabaab extends beyond military operations.

Intelligence reports have uncovered his close ties with Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adaala.

Sources confirmed that Yahye and Al-Adaala, maternal relatives, grew up in the same household and are now business partners.

Yahye is the younger brother of Hawo Ahmed Mohamud, Al-Adaala’s mother. This relationship allegedly granted Yahye regular access to Al-Adaala’s residence, where he reportedly spent weekends.

Investigations revealed Yahye and Al-Adaala shared business interests spanning Mogadishu, Dubai, and Nairobi.

These include: a powdered milk imports supplying Mogadishu, with marketing ties to Banadir Hospital, reportedly facilitated by Al-Adaala’s wife, and apartment complexes in Pangani locality in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, partially financed by Premier Bank, a Mogadishu-based institution implicated in laundering funds for Al-Shabaab and Somali pirates.

Premier Bank’s shareholders include President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Al-Adaala and other prominent Hawiye businessmen.

The bank has also been linked to forced evictions of vulnerable families in Mogadishu, including the Mogadishu airport neighborhood which is now being transformed into luxurious multi-million dollars hotel and a shopping mall.

On December 17, 2024, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (pictured below) was seen laying the foundation stone for a new hotel and shopping mall complex financed by the bank.

Reports also indicate that the President's wife is a shareholder in the new shopping mall and the luxurious hotel, which are being constructed on public land confiscated through a controversial process that saw hundreds of families evicted.

Al-Shabaab, one of the wealthiest terrorist organizations, continues to collect zakat (Islamic taxation) from businesses. Intelligence reports reveal that this revenue is being reinvested into real estate to avoid being frozen by Western governments.

Yahye's role includes collaborating with corrupt Somali government contacts to funnel this money into ventures such as a sports equipment store near KM5 in Mogadishu and various real estate projects in Mogadishu, Dubai, and Nairobi.

Financial Dealings and Suppressed Investigations

In October 2022, Al-Shabaab demanded payments from Yahye and Al-Adaala’s businesses, temporarily shutting down Al-Adaala’s Carwo Itko property in Mogadishu.

Intelligence reports indicate that $200,000 was paid to Al-Shabaab to resolve the issue, with funds transferred by Al-Adaala’s brother, who negotiated directly with the militant group.

Interviews with defectors held at Serendi Camp and detainees at Godka Jila’ow prison revealed details of the Yahye-Al-Adaala connection.

A source privy to the case told Horn Observer that attempts by the Somali Military Court to summon Al-Adaala for questioning were reportedly suppressed, preventing accountability.

Al-Adaala did not respond to our inquiries about Yahye, and officials at the military court declined to comment.

Al-Shabaab’s infiltration into Somali businesses and connections to government figures underscore the challenges of countering terrorism in a country where clan affiliations and corruption often take precedence over security.