A bomb placed under the car seat of a Somali lawmaker exploded on Monday morning in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing him and wounding another Member of Parliament, Officials and witnesses confirm.
Somali militant group al-Shabab has claimed the responsibility of the assassination. The group has carried a series of attacks in the capital in the previous months, including deadly suicide attacks.
Witnesses said the MPs were driving when the explosion occurred.
“The car went off as it was passed by… one of them burned to death, the other one was seriously injured,” said Mohamed Adam, a witness.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud strongly condemned the killing of Mr Isak Mohamed Ali, who died of serious injuries he sustained from the explosion.
It’s not the first time a member of the Somali Parliament has been killed in a similar way. Last year, an MP was killed also when a bomb was placed under his vehicle and exploded while driving past the Presidential Palace.
In the past weeks, Political tensions have been flaring up within the Federal Parliament.
Parliament session was canceled three times last week, after majority of lawmakers refused to attend the meeting. The MPs were due to question several ministers including the ministers of interior, Security and ports. Many MPs are divided over wide ranging of issues regarding the Federal constitution, implementation of Federal states, the management of financial institutions and the security situation in the country.
This latest Mogadishu car bomb explosion comes after a National Security Conference opened in the capital, which its main aim is to achieve stability and peace in the war ravaged country.
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