By Abdi Muse
Hargeysa (RBC) The editor of daily independent newspaper in Hargeysa, the capital of breakaway northwestern Somalia region of Somaliland has survived planned assassination attempt on Thursday midnight after confronting his two attackers identified as police officers, the editor told RBC Radio on phone.
Mohamed Ahmed Jama (better known Caloolay) has confirmed he has sustained minor injuries on his right hand on Thursday around 11:20 p.m (local time) when two masked men armed with pistols, sticks and padlocks with their hands entered his office and begun beating him.
“At midnight as usual when we were on drafting our daily issue of the Hubaal newspaper two masked men entered the office, I first saw them, they had two sticks their hands and one of them pointed me with a pistol saying “this is him” while the other one begun beating me”. the editor said.
“I felt very pain and suddenly I stood up and confronted him at that time the other guy fired one bullet but luckily it missed me”. he continued.
The editor told RBC Radio that with the help of other colleagues in office, he managed to command over one of the attackers and confiscated the pistol and the stick away from him. Unfortunately the other assailant fled from the scene.
“After we managed to take the pistol and the stick, his hands tied and then opened his face to see. We called the police to come.”Jama added.
The editor of Hubaal Newspaper whispered that the two attackers were identified as police officers operating at Mohamed Mooge police station. He said he believed that the assassination was related to his paper’s critic editorial against Somaliland’s presidential officials.
The police also found a cellphone being used by one of the assailants with the contacts of senior official at Somaliland presidential compound.
Somaliland police chief Abdullahi Fadal who spoke to BBC Somali Service also confirmed the attackers were police officers and he acknowledged that urgent investigation to clear the motive of the attack was opened.
“Due to ongoing investigation I don’t want to detail all the information, but we should come to the end of it.” he added. “They are exactly police officers, yes.. but we need to know why they were doing this.”
He promised the other attacker who fled will be arrested soon.
RBC Radio
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