Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport was temporarily closed today after a vehicle belonging to ground-handling services provider, SKA Logistics, was suspected of carrying explosives.
SKA Logistics at Mogadishu (SKA) |
According to Somalian Minister for Air Transport, Ali Mohamud Ibrahim, business at the airport ground to a halt this morning when sniffer dogs raised the alarm. The airport was then evacuated with flights suspended pending a closer investigation by troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Conflicting reports claimed the vehicle to be either a water tanker or a small utility vehicle.
After a 2 hour long inspection, the vehicle was found to be clean.
Mogadishu, the seat of the Somali Transitional government, has been a target for attacks by the Al-Qaeda aligned Al-Shabaab movement. A week ago, an explosives-laden car that apparently was targeting a truck full of Somali government officials instead hit a civilian car and exploded, setting a nearby mini-bus on fire and killing at least seven people.