MOGADISHU – Somalia’s militant group Al-Shabaab has released an audio message identifying the man who led last weekend’s deadly suicide bombing on the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) prison in Somali capital, Mogadishu.
In the one-hour recording, the group named the bomber as Abdi fatah Bashir Hashi, a native of Adado in the Galgaduud region.
He belongs to the Hawiye/Habar Gedir–Saleebaan clan, joined Al-Shabaab in 2013 after leaving Adado with a group of local youths who later became members of the militant organization.
Al-Shabaab said Hashi drove a Toyota 4WD pickup truck marked with NISA insignia into Godka Jilicow Prison, a high-security detention center used to hold captured Al-Shabaab operatives.
He was radicalized after watching smuggled videos from Afghanistan showing Taliban suicide bombers targeting U.S. military convoys in Kabul and elsewhere.
He says he was later trained at an Al-Shabaab military camp and selected for the group’s suicide unit.
The bomber claimed the group took a special interest in him due to his clan’s connections within Mogadishu’s security apparatus, noting that several of his relatives currently hold key positions in Somali security agencies—an “advantage” for the militant group.
He also alleged that some of the suicide attackers who participated in the October 4 assault were young men from the United Kingdom and Tanzania.
At some point he described the harsh conditions facing new recruits, including food shortages and the constant threat of U.S. airstrikes, saying many tried to flee the group but were hunted down and executed for “betrayal.”
Contradicting previous reports, he denied claims that Al-Shabaab uses drugs or other substances to manipulate recruits into becoming suicide bombers, asserting that his decision was voluntary.
Former NISA deputy, Abdisalam Guled noted that the Saturday attack seemed well planned “with insider collaboration.”
Surveillance
While withholding specific operational details, he revealed that he personally conducted surveillance of Godka Jilicow Prison days before the attack, escorted by a vehicle through Mogadishu.
He said the operation required careful intelligence gathering and target monitoring, though he declined to specify the type of vehicle used, citing “security sensitivity.”
The militant bomber also mentioned that his ideological guidance came mainly from extremist religious literature originating from Saudi Arabia.
The attack began when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into the heavily guarded Godka Jiliow Prison Saturday afternoon, followed by a group of armed Al-Shabaab militants who stormed the compound.
The fighting lasted until dawn on October 5, when Somalia’s elite Gaashaan unit reportedly killed all the attackers.
Security sources told Kaab Tv that some prisoners former Al-Shabaab members—joined the battle after obtaining explosives.
The Ministry of Internal Security said seven militants were killed, though security officials believe the total number of attackers was about ten.
The government has not released details about the remaining assailants or the full number of casualties.
The incident marks the second major Al-Shabaab attack in Mogadishu this year, following the March 18, 2025 assassination attempt targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, stating the assault was timed to coincide with a meeting of NISA officials inside the prison.
The group’s propaganda outlet also aired live phone recordings from militants during the attack, claiming that 12 prisoners were freed.
