Somali forces seize 79 tones of sulphuric acid as country marks 3 years after truck bombing

Somalia’s intelligence agency NISA said Wednesday it had seized close to 80 tons of sulphuric acid destined for the hands of the militant group Al-Shabaab as the country marks three years since a truck bomb killed over 600 people.

“A total of 79 tons of sulfuric acid have been seized and the individuals who smuggled it into the Al-Shabaab mafia will face the law,” NISA said in a tweet.

It added that the matter was currently under investigations by its personnel in partnership with anti-terrorism partners. Previous UN Monitoring reports have pointed to Al-Shabaab’s local capacity to make bombs of up to 1000 kilogrammes using locally assembled ingredients.

The seizure coincides with the third anniversary of the Zoobe Junction truck bombing that killed 632 people and injured hundreds of others. Al-Shabaab did not claim responsibility for the attack but the government and all indications pointed fingers to the militant group.