NISA seize large quanity of sulphuric acid

Somalia’s Intelligence Agency announced that it has seized a large amount of sulphuric acid that they believe was destined for Al-Shabaab earlier this week.

In a short message posted to the NISA twitter page, the intelligence group said that it seizd 79 tons of acid from smugglers. They suspected smugglers have been arrested and will be charged.

The seizure was announced on the third anniversary of the infamous October Bombing in Mogadishu which claimed the lives of over 600 people.

Forensic evidence gathered from Al-Shabaab bombs have shown that nitroglycerine has been detected from the group’s bombs.  Sulfuric acid is a component of nitroglycerine.

In the past Al-Shabaab have utilized a myriad of ways to obtain explosive substances, both legal and illegal.  In 2019, 180 tons of explosives, 165 tons of ammonium nitrate and detonators were delivered by the MV Oriental Queen. The cargo was diverted from a road and port construction site.