US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1382

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 001382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, PINR, DJ 
SUBJECT: REPORT OF TERRORIST CAPTURED AND HANDED OVER TO 
SOMALILAND 
 
1. (U) Summary: The international Saudi newspaper Al Sharq Al 
Awsat reported on October 25th that the brainchild of the 
latest series of European aid workers killings in Somaliland 
has been caught. The Somali terrorist, who is said to be an 
activist of Al Ittihad Al Islamiya, a terror group linked to 
Al Qaeda, was caught in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian authorities 
handed him over to the self-proclaimed Government of 
Somaliland. Both the Al Sharq Al-Awsat and BBC Somali reports 
claim the U.S Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa based 
in Djibouti, participated in the extradition operation. End 
Summary. 
 
2. (U) On October 25th the London based Saudi newspaper 
reported a press conference given by the Somaliland Minister 
of Interior, Ismail Adam Osman, who stated that there are new 
developments in the cases of European aid workers killed in 
Somaliland in late 2003 and early 2004. The minister stated 
that Ethiopian forces has handed over a Somali national 
suspected to be behind a number of terrorist operations that 
took place in Somaliland. The man called "Mohamed Ali Issa" is 
suspected to have arranged the assassination of one Kenyan 
national and one German national, working in the German non- 
governmental organization "GTZ" in early 2004 and the killing 
of two British teachers in the Somaliland city of "Sheikh" in 
October 2003. The minister said in his statement to the press, 
"the suspect fled to Mogadishu, he was caught there and 
sustained injuries to his leg during the pursuit. He was moved 
to Djibouti to get necessary medical treatment. After that the 
Ethiopian forces handed the suspect to us." The report did not 
indicate if the minister identified those who arrested the 
suspected murderer. 
 
3. (U) Al Sharq Al-Awsat also reported information gathered 
from Somali news sources, which allege that CJTF- HOA, 
described as U.S counter-terrorist forces based in Djibouti, 
aided in the capture of Mohamed Ali Issa. The press conference 
reported that Somaliland authorities have indicted Al Ittihad 
Al Islamia (AIAI) and Al Qaeda networks for being responsible 
for the assassinations. The Minister continued that ten people 
have now been arrested in Hargeisa under the same charges and 
are waiting trial. Al Sharq Al Awsat ended its report by 
reminding that AIAI has been designated as a terrorist 
organization by the United States after the 9/11 events and 
considers it as Al Qaeda's arm in the Horn of Africa region.