The son of Somalia president causes fatal traffic accident in Turkey

MOGADISHU, Somalia - One of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's sons caused a tragic road accident in Turkey, multiple sources have confirmed, in what could build up to a serious traffic offence given the nature and circumstances of the incident which took place this week.

The accident, those in the know-how say, left one person dead in Turkey's capital, Ankara. The victim was riding a motorcycle before being knocked by the president's son and died on the spot according to authorities in the Middle East nation.

Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahomud caused the accident while driving a vehicle belonging to the Somali Embassy in Ankara. Photos taken from the scene of the accident showed the badly dismembered motorbike yards from the victim who lay dead on the ground.

The Turkish police have taken him into custody as per the Turkish media, the Turkish citizen died on impact in the accident. In police custody, the son of the second-term Somali president will be interrogated on the nature of the accident before action is taken.

As confirmed by the Somali embassy staff, the son of the President is not a member of the staff of the embassy nor is he a staffer in the embassy. The vehicle belonged to the embassy and donned diplomatic plates at the time of the accident.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is a close ally of Turkey, which is involved in various development programmes in the country besides helping in fostering security. The country also hosts several refugees from Somalia, some of whom are now prominent business owners and politicians.

Incidentally, the accident took place a few hours after an attempted Al-Shabaab attack on TurkSom, an army training base in Mogadishu owned by Turkey, where Somali recruits in the army were trained. The suicide attempt was foiled after the bomb detonated before reaching its destination.

There has not been any comment from Somalia's embassy in Turkey regarding the unfortunate incident. For the last decade, Somalia has been a major beneficiary of Turkey's philanthropy in various economic sectors including development.

GAROWE ONLINE