NISA foils Mogadishu terror attack, arrests 5-member cell

Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somali intelligence agents have arrested a five-member cell that authorities say tried to smuggle explosives into Mogadishu, the agency said Friday, describing the operation as a major disruption of planned attacks in the capital.

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said its officers intercepted the network on the outskirts of the city as the suspects prepared to move into Mogadishu with vehicles rigged with explosives and various weapons.

“NISA, which had been closely monitoring the movements and plots of this network, seized various types of explosives, weapons, and vehicles,” the agency said in a statement released Friday.

The agency identified the five suspects as members of “Khawaarij”—the term Somali authorities use for the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group—stating they planned to “secretly enter” the capital to carry out acts threatening national security.

NISA did not name the detainees, but said it will transfer them to judicial authorities for prosecution.

Decapitating the leadership

The interception comes during an ongoing government crackdown on the insurgents’ bomb-making capabilities.

On January 1, 2026, NISA announced it had killed Abdullahi Osman Mohamed, also known as “Engineer Ismail,” during an operation in the insurgent stronghold of Jilib.

Intelligence officials identified Engineer Ismail as the head of the group’s explosives department and a key figure within the “Amniyaadka” intelligence wing.

Carrying a $5 million bounty, he was accused of masterminding the October 14, 2017, truck bombing in Mogadishu. That attack killed more than 500 people, marking one of the deadliest terrorist acts in Africa’s history.

The operation, conducted on December 10 in the Middle Juba region with international partners, also resulted in the death of Abdikarin Mohamed Xersi, known as Qoorleex, a key figure in Al-Shabaab’s propaganda wing for the Jubba regions.

Despite these high-profile losses, security analysts warn that Al-Shabaab remains capable of mounting complex urban attacks.

Experts point to Friday’s seizure of explosives as evidence that the group’s supply chains remain active as they continue efforts to push operatives into the capital.

Mogadishu has remained relatively calmer since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud returned to office, recording fewer major bombings than in previous years. However, authorities continue to say that the group is actively plotting attacks.

Al-Shabaab has fought Somalia’s central government for nearly two decades. Although African Union forces pushed the militants out of Mogadishu in 2011, the group remains a major threat in rural areas, frequently targeting civilians and government sites.

The government has increased its campaign against the militants, frequently announcing arrests and weapons seizures as it attempts to extend state control across the south.