MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Mogadishu Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin said Monday that Somalia’s security forces recovered illegal weapons from Mogadishu’s seaside luxury Elite Hotel, owned by former Security Minister and senior opposition figure Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, during an operation targeting unauthorized arms in the capital.
Wararka Soomaaliya
Speaking at a press conference, Mumin said the weapons were discovered inside what authorities described as a secured room within the hotel. According to police, the cache included drones, sniper equipment, PKM machine guns, and AK-style rifles.
Mumin said officers initially believed the room would be difficult to access but were later able to enter after hotel management provided the key. He added that traditional elders were present when the weapons were removed from the premises.
The police commander said commercial establishments, including hotels, must not be used to store illegal weapons.
Faahfaahinta
The development comes after Somali police and army forces launched a large-scale security operation in Mogadishu’s Abdiasis district, an area traditionally regarded as an opposition stronghold. The district was the scene of clashes last week between federal forces and fighters loyal to former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The fighting lasted two days before ending amid pressure from international partners.
On Saturday, Nur said security forces had raided his hotel while carrying heavy weapons and explosives. He alleged that the forces intended to place the weapons inside the property and later present them to the media as evidence of illegal arms storage in order to justify looting the hotel.
Government forces have since maintained control of the hotel, which has remained closed to the public for a third consecutive day.
Saamaynta
Speaking at a press conference Monday evening, Nur rejected the police allegations and said the weapons displayed to the media were never inside the hotel. He described the operation as a fabricated attempt to damage both his reputation and his business.
Nur said he recognized only two drones shown in images released by authorities and maintained that both belonged to him legally. He said the drones were commercial civilian unmanned aerial vehicles for which he had received government authorization and that they had previously been used to assist security forces with surveillance operations in the Middle Shabelle region during campaigns against Al-Shabaab.
Asked why his hotel had been singled out, Nur said the action was politically motivated because of his kinship with opposition leader Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. He alleged that elements within the government were seeking to create instability by targeting him.
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
