By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The Editor of Hubaal newspaper has heroically emerged with minor injuries from an assassination attempt.
Though the editor Mr Mohamed Ahmed Jama only sustained a broken right hand and third finger of the left hand a bullet aimed at him hit the wall above his head and ricocheted several times after two masked gunmen attacked the offices Hubaal newspaper in Hargeisa last night.
Speaking to Somalilandsun the editor popular known as Aloley informed that the attack ensued around 11 pm on Wednesday night as he and two other journalists were making final proof-reading to the following day’s issue of the Somali Hubaal newspaper.
“While busily engaged in finalizing our issue two masked men entered the office and one of them aimed a pistol at me and fired a bullet that narrowly missed me” said Aloley.
As the fear filled and quivering trio of journalists stood stunned the two masked gunmen started thrashing them with metal studded sticks thus the broken arm and finger of the editor as well as a fractured on the right arm of another colleague.
Following the relentless beatings the journalists who decided to defend themselves managed to subdue one of the attackers while the other one took advantage of the scuffles and blows melee to escaped unnoticed.
According to editor Aloley the assailant overpowered who is already in police custody is actually a police officer named Ahmed Hashi Hasan “Nyanyo” who is stationed at the Mohamed Moge Police station in Hargeisa.
“After overpowering one of the assailants we confiscated his cell phone, pistol and Heavy stick which we handed over to police together with the assailant.
Aloley says that all of the last five numbers called or received by the now in custody masked gunman who attempted to kill him were from or to a senior operative at the presidency (name withheld) whom the attacker is closely related to, thus his-Aloley’s opinion that the gunmen were on contract.
While police investigations are on-going it is not yet clear what prompted the attack on the Somali language Hubaal newspaper apart from the fact that it has of late been a thorn in the flesh of the administration through stinging headline article.
On the other hand the editor who is a failed candidate for membership in the Hargeisa Municipal council during the November 2012 local government elections has been very vocal with claims that the National election commission rigged the ballot thus his has also been
This is the second attack on a media house to occur in Hargeisa in the recent past as a similar but less intense attack took place at the offices of the recently launched Somaliland Today newspaper that saw it’s offices assailed by over 30 rowdy men who were demanding information on the whereabouts or directions to the house of the paper’s editor.
