Canada PM Trudeau condemns Somalia hotel attack that killed 26

In a statement issued Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned an extremist attack in Somalia which killed 26, including a prominent Somali-Canadian journalist and her husband.

According to Somali officials, 43-year-old Hodan Nalayeh, a former Toronto-based journalist, and her husband Farid Jama Suleiman was staying at a hotel in the port city of Kismayo on Friday when gunmen stormed the building.

In the statement, Trudeau offered his condolences to Nalayeh’s loved ones.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Hodan Nalayeh, a Somali-Canadian journalist who, together with her husband Farid, was killed in the terrorist attack in Kismayo, Somalia,” he wrote. “Our thoughts are also with those who were injured or lost loved ones.”

He continued, “Canada strongly condemns this heinous attack, and will continue working with Somalia and other international partners to address the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism.

“Together, we must create a safer, more peaceful world, where the media freedom so central to healthy democracies and strong societies can flourish,” he added

Fifty-six people were also injured as a result of the incident.

Somalia’s Al-Shabaab Islamist rebels have claimed the responsibility of the attack.