A high ranking prominent Somali government official and his bodyguards have been arrested by Somali police after they sparked gunfire, killing civilians along Mogadishu seaport road, according to Benadir regional police commissioner, Bishar Abshir Gedi.
“Somali police have detained high level official and his bodyguards in Mogadishu prison and will bring them to justice. We started investigation to figure out why they fired the bullets, killing civilians”, Mr. Bishar said.
The Benadir police commissioner however did not name either the arrested official or his bodyguards.
MPs, ministers and other high level government officials’ bodyguards have been known to frequently open fire aimlessly in a bid to ward off potential attacks, but this could lead to innocent civilian casualties and injuries as the stray bullets could penetrate into people’s homes.
(Writing by Hassan Istiila. Editing by Julian Kamau)
