Airplane Bomb Targeted Western Intelligence Officials: Al-Shabaab Statement

Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Daallo Airlines airplane, saying in a statement the attack was part of an operation aimed at dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces flying to Djibouti.

An English-language release posted on Radio Andulus’s website noted that while the operation didn’t cause the plane to crash on Feb. 2, it caused havoc and turmoil.

The bomb blew a hole in the fuselage of the Airbus A321 jet carrying 74 passengers, killing one person, thought to have been carrying the device. The plane had been in the air for about 15 minutes when the incident occurred.

The militants also promised they would continue to pursue the enemies, with a particular focus on all Western intelligence teams operating in Somalia, according to the statement.

Daallo Airlines, based in Dubai, regularly flies between Mogadishu, Somalia, and cities including Nairobi, Kenya, and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, according to its website.