| Part of theSomali Civil War | |
 Hassan in 2023 | |
 | |
| Date | 18 March 2025; 10 months ago (2025-03-18) |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 10:32 a.m. (EAT) |
| Location | Hamar Jajab Neighbourhood, nearVilla Somalia,Mogadishu, Somalia[1] |
| Coordinates | 2°01′53″N45°20′03″E / 2.0314°N 45.3342°E /2.0314; 45.3342 |
| Type | Assassination attempt |
| Target | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud |
| Perpetrator |  Al-Shabaab[2] |
| Outcome | Failure to assassinate Hassan Sheikh |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 20 |
The attempted assassination ofHassan Sheikh Mohamud occurred on 18 March 2025, whenal-Shabaab militants targeted theSomali president's convoy with a roadside bomb inMogadishu,Somalia.
The attack took place near theVilla Somalia presidential palace as President Mohamud was en route toAden Adde International Airport to oversee military operations against al-Shabaab in theMiddle Shabelle region. The president was unharmed in the attack.[3][4][5]
Al-Shabaab, anIslamist militant group and ally ofal-Qaeda, haswaged an insurgency for more than a decade and continues to control parts of southern and central Somalia. The group tried toassassinate him during theFirst HSM administration in 2012,[6] 2013,[7] and 2014.[8]
On 20 February 2025, al-Shabaab started a new offensive inHirshabelle State called "Operation Ramadan"[9] against theSomali National Army,African Union Mission in Somalia forces, and alliedMa'awisley clan militias (Somali:Macawiisleey).[10][9] The militant group's objective was to regain territory lost in the 2022 ground offensive led by theFederal Government andAfrican Union, particularly strategic towns and supply routes, and to take control of Somalia's capitalMogadishu.[9][11]
Within the first day of the offensive, al-Shabaab took over more than 15 towns and villages in the regions ofMiddle Shabelle,Hiran, andLower Shabelle. The state capitalJowhar was later surrounded by al-Shabaab fighters, and Hirshabelle presidentAli Abdullahi Hussein fled the city. Opposition media compared the event to Afghan presidentAshraf Ghani's escape from Kabul when itfell to the Taliban.[9]
On 7 March 2025, theAmerican Embassy in Mogadishu issued an alert cautioning of potential military operations by al-Shabaab, prompting several nations to cancel flights toAden Adde International Airport.[12][13][14] In a speech on 8 March 2025, Mohamud stated that America was disseminating "fake alerts", and such warnings were intended to destabilize his administration. Mohamud argued that these alerts undermined Somalia's sovereignty and urged the nation to focus on self-reliance rather than depending on foreign support.[15]
On 11 March 2025, six al-Shabaab attackers stormed theCairo Hotel inBeledweyne, detonating asuicide car bomb and launching a 24-hoursiege.[16] The hotel was hosting clan elders and military officials coordinatingShabelle offensives. More than 21 people were killed, including all six attackers and two traditional elders, while dozens were injured.[16]
The bomb struck a vehicle as it passed a checkpoint near the president's at el-Gaabta intersection, a heavily fortified part of the security perimeter surrounding the presidential complexVilla Somalia in Somalia's capital,Mogadishu. President Mohamud's entourage was traveling toAden Adde International Airport to join troops on the front lines inHirshabelle.[17] The bomb was planted on the roadside beneath a two-story building, causing severe damage, including to a neighboring security convoy's bulletproof vehicle.[18][19]
Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.[2]
The blast killed at least 10 people, seven security personnel and three civilians, and injured 20 others.[2] Among the victims was 31-year-old Somali Radio Risaala journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe, who became thefirst journalist killed in Somalia in 2025.[20] Other eyewitnesses only reported two or three deaths.[16]
Later, the state mediaSNTV published photos of him in theAdan Yabal district ofMiddle Shabelle region, whereSNA and local forces are combating theongoing al-Shabaab offensive.[3][21]
Twenty-two journalists reporting the attack from the prominent radio station Risaala Media, which was briefly shutdown by the government, were detained bypolice.[19]
On 19 March 2025, al-Shabaab launched multiplemortar attacks targetingAden Adde International Airport and the Halane compound where several foreign entities, including the United Nations headquarters were located.[22] In response to the attacks, theSomali National Army and theNational Intelligence and Security Agency killed more than 6 al-Shabaab leaders during an assault operation inLower Shabelle.[23]
Presidential adviser Zakariye Hussein wrote in a post onX that Hassan was "good and well on his way to the front lines."[3] TheMinistry of Information of Somalia released a statement calling the attack a "cowardly act of desperation".[21]
Former presidentsSharif Sheikh Ahmed andMohamed Abdullahi Mohamed,[24] former prime ministerAbdi Farah Shirdon, MP Abdullahi Hashi Abib and Puntland minister of interiorAbdi Farah Said Juha condemned the attack.[25]
The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemned the attempted killing, calling it a "cowardly attack" and extending condolences to Dabaashe's family and the broader media community.[20]
Several different countries and organizations offered condolences and condemnation of the attack, including Algeria,[26] Egypt,[27] Jordan,[1] Kuwait,[1] Mauritania,[28] Palestine,[1] Qatar[1] Saudi Arabia,[29] Ukraine,[25] the United Arab Emirates,[1] the United Kingdom,[25] and the United States.[30]
Newly-electedChairperson of the African Union Commission andDjiboutian foreign ministerMahamoud Ali Youssouf condemned the attack[31] as did theArab League,[1]OIC secretary-generalHissein Brahim Taha[1] andUN secretary-generalAntónio Guterres.[16]
