Somali born Dutch national Lul Ahmed was one of the favorite staff for the chairman of Somali unity and democracy party (UDP) Salat Ali Jelle at the central hotel.
“My Niqab is my bullet proof,” Lul told Jelle few days before the deadly attack when he jokingly asked his favorite receptionist why she is constantly on the Islamic attire.
“Lul used to cover herself with Niqab all the time and when I jokingly asked her why, she said, it is her bullet proof like Somali ministers who drive bullet resistant cars,”Jelle told Radio Dalsan.
Jelle was a resident of the hotel for the past nine months after moving out from a nearby hotel NasaHablod to ill-fated central hotel.
He survived Al Shabaab claimed Friday deadly attack in which 25 killed and over 30 wounded.
His close friends such as deputy mayor of Mogadishu Mohamed Adan and two other Somali members of parliament lost their lives.
Lul suspicious behavior
Lul Ahmed lived in the Netherlands before returning home one year ago and was employed at the new central hotel in Mogadishu which was popular with senior Somali government officials as a receptionist.
The fluent English speaker had suspicious character according to former Somali MP and chairman of Somali unity and democracy party Salat Ali Jelle.
“She was frequently moving in and out of the hotel when she is on duty particularly last week,” he said.
Jelle also added that Lul told himthat she started driving school class saying she was planning to purchase a car.
“She told me that she has started driving lessons and will purchase car soon,”
The car bomb which also exploded before suicide attack is suspected to be parked inside by Lul.
Other reports indicate that Lul Ahmed was fasting three days prior to the attack of the hotel.
Her husband was killed in Mogadishu in 2009 while fighting alongside Al Shabaab and is survived by six children.
Significant role of Somali diaspora in Al Shabaab
Al Shabaab militant group has significant members of Somali diaspora mainly from Europe, America and neighboring countries.
Most recent years, Somali government focused on quelling the group internally by pushing out from key strategic towns such as Mogadishu, Kismayoand Barawe with the help from African union troops.
However, one of most deadly hit and run attacks by the group particularly in the capital Mogadishu was carried out by double citizens who joined the group.
For instance, 2009 Shamo hotel suicide bomber from Finland killed four government ministers and hundreds of students in graduation ceremony.
Most recently, Swiss national blew himself in SYL hotel where Turkish delegation was meeting a head of President Erdogan meeting and then came Dutch national Lul Ahmed of central hotel.
Some of Somali experts interviewed by Radio Dalsan have strongly recommended close working relations between intelligence agencies of Somalia and Canada, Scandinavian states where large population of Somalis reside.
They also recommended proactive measures to curb rising Somali double citizens in terror attacks inside Somalia.
Somali Government officials killed in Mogadishu central hotel attack
- Omar Ali Noor -National Assembly Member
- MohamudDuale Muse -National Assembly Member
- Mohamed AdanGuled – Deputy Mayor, Mogadishu
- Abdishakur Mire Adan – Chairman, Daljir Party
Somali Government Officials wounded in Mogadishu central hotel attack
- Mohamed Omar Arte -Deputy PM
- Noor Farah Hersi -Minister for Ports
- Abdikadir Ali Omar -Member of Parliament
- Salad Ali Jelle -Chairman, Somali Unity and Democracy Party
- Mohamud Ahmed – Balad district commissioner
- Ali Jama – Minister for transport and aviation
- Abdirahman Mohamed -former deputy interior minister.
By Radio Dalsan Investigations team
For comments, complements and suggestions kindly email us at
