Horseed Media radio station in Bosaso, Puntland, was bombed on Monday evening, leaving one staff injured.…
Horseed Media radio station in Bosaso, Puntland, was bombed on Monday evening, leaving one staff injured.
Two men with pistols were reported to have hurled a hand grenade in front of Horseed Media radio station around 8:20 p.m.
The gunmen then opened fire on dozens of people sitting nearby café, slightly injuring one of the technicians working for the radio.
The reception area of the building sustained some damages from the bomb blast.
The police arrived at the scene 15 minutes later, they have yet to identify the perpetrators of the bombing.
The radio station is located at the heart of the city, just 150 meters from Gaaca Square, at the time of the attack there was heavy police presence in the area and police night checkpoints at the square, but still no one was arrested for the attack.
Prior to this, such attacks on radio stations in Puntlad were rare, but there have been other attacks against media workers in Puntland.
On 13 August, Armed police stormed Horseed Media radio station in the port city Bosaso, arresting the director and seven other staff members. The other staff members were soon released, but Abdifatah Jama Mire the director of the radio was convicted and sentenced the next day.
Abdifatah Jama Mire is in jail for the last two months. He was arrested for airing an interview of an Islamist rebel leader, despite an appeals judge admitting that the prosecution has no evidence against him.
The government of the semi-autonomous region of Somalia has since banned all interviews with any opposition group.
Mire was condemned to a six-year jail sentence and a 500 dollar fine. His lawyer appealed the ruling, and after it was postponed, it finally came before the Bari regional Court of Appeal on 4 September.
The judge told the prosecution that it did not have enough evidence against the head of the radio station and gave them until three days to present more compelling evidence. So far, they have not done so and Mire is still in jail.
Horseed Media radio in Bosaso also known as (Codka Shacabka) “The voice of the People†was back on air, today.
“…we will not be silenced by threats and such attacks…we will continue to be the voice of the people….†Said a statement release by the management of Horseed Media.
So far, no one has yet claimed the responsibility of the attack on the radio station.
Horseed Media
