20 foreigners held, being interrogated over claims that al-Shabaab abducted them: Somali police
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Police in Somalia on Sunday said that 20 foreigners are being interrogated after they said that they had been in al-Shabaab’s captivity for years.
Sadik Adan Ali, a police spokesman, said in a statement that the foreigners, including 14 Iranians and six Pakistanis, were apprehended by police in the country’s coastal town of Hobyo.
He said some of these individuals were said to be abducted by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group in early 2014. Others were kidnapped by the group in the middle of 2019 near the coast of Harardere.
“Four of the foreigners have physical injuries,” said the police statement.
According to local media, the foreigners claimed that they are fishermen and had been held captive by al-Shabaab for years and arrived in the government-controlled area after being released by the group.
Further investigation is underway, according to the Somali police.
Authorities in the Galmudug state, who spoke to Anadolu Agency over phone, said they “rescued” the foreigners and that they are under interrogation.
The men were apprehended when they were traveling in two boats between Hobyo and Haradhere on Saturday night, according to the regional authorities.
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