Somali officials have confirmed that a bomb blew the hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines Airbus A321 that made an emergency landing on February 2 at Mogadishu Airport. The nature of the damage to the airplane raised speculation last week that an explosive device detonated on board, and local media outlets reported that residents of a village some 20 miles north of Mogadishu found the charred remains of a body suspected of having fallen from the airplane. Authorities now believe the remains belong to the bomber.
Over the weekend officials released a surveillance video showing a passenger in the airport's departure lounge receiving a laptop computer they believe blew the hole in the airplane. Authorities have arrested more than 20 people in connection with the incident, a government spokesman told BBC Somalia.
According to the airline, the flight had traveled some 15 minutes on a scheduled flight to Djibouti in the horn of Africa when the incident occurred. Pilots managed to return the airplane and land safely at Mogadishu Airport without further incident. However, according to an airline statement, one of the 74 passengers remained missing. Two other passengers who sustained minor injuries went to a local hospital for treatment.
An investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority in Mogadishu and a technical team from the owner of the airplane, Hermes Airlines of Greece, continues in close coordination with the Greek Civil Aviation Authority and Airbus. Hermes Airlines wet leases the A321 to Daallo.
In a statement, Daallo Airlines said it has operated in the region for 25 years without a fatality. “Daallo Airlines takes security and safety of its passengers very seriously and would like to assure that all its aircraft [owned and leased] are registered/maintained under EASA [European Union] regulations and are being operated by highly qualified and experienced pilots from Europe,” the statement concluded.
Somalia remains in the grip of an insurgency by the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks throughout the country.
Updated on February 8