By Stewart Bell, National Post — A Canadian has been arrested in Somalia for allegedly plotting to bomb leaders of a moderate Islamic group, according to local media reports that identified him as a trained member of the militant Al-Shabab.

But the reports could not be verified yesterday due to the lack of press and foreign diplomats in the lawless country, particularly in the remote Galgadud region of central Somalia where the Canadian is allegedly being held.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not aware of any recent arrests of Canadian citizens in Somalia but Ottawa has no official presence in the country. Consular officials in neighbouring Nairobi were seeking further information.

According to Radio Garowe and the Somali-language news site allpuntland.com,Abdifatah Mohamad Ibrahim appeared in court on Monday in the town of Guri El, where authorities showed his Canadian passport to spectators. The reports said he was arrested on March 8 by clan militias loyal to Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama, which has been battling Al-Shabab. Local authorities were reportedly investigating whether he was attempting to assassinate top Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama officers.

He has been charged with five offences, including training to use explosives and planning bombings, according to Radio Garowe, which added he allegedly intended to travel to Burao, Somaliland to “commit acts of insecurity.” He has allegedly admitted that he was trained by Al-Shabab.

“Due to the highly volatile and unpredictable nature of the security situation in Somalia, the government of Canada’s ability to provide consular assistance to Canadians in distress is severely restricted,” said Daniel Barbarie, a Foreign Affairs spokesman.

Al-Shabab, which means “youth,” is an armed Islamist group that is often compared with the Taliban. It is suspected of links to al-Qaeda. A handful of Canadians have traveled to Somalia to fight with the armed Islamists, according to Canadian and Somali officials. One of them, Abdullah Ali Afrah, formerly of Toronto, was killed last summer while leading an ambush.

The reports of the arrest come amid intensive investigations by Canadian and U. S. counter-terrorism officials into allegations that youths of Somali origin have ventured overseas to join Al-Shabab.

At a news conference in Somalia on the weekend, two young men claimed they were Americans and had traveled to Africa “to fight alongside our brothers of Al-Shabab” and “to be killed for the sake of God.” Last Monday, a video posted on an extremist Internet site showed a man claiming to be an American leading an Al-Shabab ambush. The footage was accompanied by rap music about “keeping the [non-Muslims] living in fear.”

Al-Shabab has become a priority in Washington in recent months. At least one American has already died. Last October, Shirwa Ahmed, a 27-year-old college student from Minneapolis, became the first known U. S. citizen to carry out a suicide bombing when he blew himself up in Somalia, killing 30 people.

Somalia has been a lawless wasteland since 1991. The Islamic Courts Union, along with its militia Al-Shabab, emerged from the chaos and has been battling moderate militias, U. S.-backed Somali government forces and their Ethiopian allies for control of the country.

Canada is home to about 150,000 ethnic Somalis, according to a report by Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre. Most are moderates but the report says that, “Some Somali-Canadians have fought as Islamist extremists in Somalia.”

Source: National Post

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