Somalia police say weapons cache found in Mogadishu’s Elite Hotel
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Mogadishu Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin said Monday that Somalia’s security forces recovered illegal weapons from Mogadishu’s seaside luxury Elite Hotel, owned by former Security Minister and senior opposition figure Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, during an operation targeting unauthorized arms in the capital. Speaking at a press conference, Mumin said the weapons were […]
Black News 
MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Mogadishu Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin said Monday that Somalia’s security forces recovered illegal weapons from Mogadishu’s seaside luxury Elite Hotel, owned by former Security Minister and senior opposition figure Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, during an operation targeting unauthorized arms in the capital.
Speaking at a press conference, Mumin said the weapons were discovered inside what authorities described as a secured room within the hotel. According to police, the cache included drones, sniper equipment, PKM machine guns, and AK-style rifles.
Mumin said officers initially believed the room would be difficult to access but were later able to enter after hotel management provided the key. He added that traditional elders were present when the weapons were removed from the premises.
The police commander said commercial establishments, including hotels, must not be used to store illegal weapons.
The development comes after Somali police and army forces launched a large-scale security operation in Mogadishu’s Abdiasis district, an area traditionally regarded as an opposition stronghold. The district was the scene of clashes last week between federal forces and fighters loyal to former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The fighting lasted two days before ending amid pressure from international partners.
On Saturday, Nur said security forces had raided his hotel while carrying heavy weapons and explosives. He alleged that the forces intended to place the weapons inside the property and later present them to the media as evidence of illegal arms storage in order to justify looting the hotel.
Government forces have since maintained control of the hotel, which has remained closed to the public for a third consecutive day.
Speaking at a press conference Monday evening, Nur rejected the police allegations and said the weapons displayed to the media were never inside the hotel. He described the operation as a fabricated attempt to damage both his reputation and his business.
Nur said he recognized only two drones shown in images released by authorities and maintained that both belonged to him legally. He said the drones were commercial civilian unmanned aerial vehicles for which he had received government authorization and that they had previously been used to assist security forces with surveillance operations in the Middle Shabelle region during campaigns against Al-Shabaab.
Asked why his hotel had been singled out, Nur said the action was politically motivated because of his kinship with opposition leader Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. He alleged that elements within the government were seeking to create instability by targeting him.
The controversy comes only days after militias loyal to Nur were involved in a confrontation with Somali army forces on the road connecting Mogadishu and the Middle Shabelle region. The fighters, traveling in eight technical vehicles, had left Mogadishu after receiving information that security forces were preparing an operation to disarm them. During their movement, they were ambushed by government forces, triggering a brief exchange of fire before they continued to an area controlled by militias from Nur’s clan in Middle Shabelle.
Although fighting between government and opposition-aligned forces subsided last week and international partners are working to bring Somali leaders together to address the political standoff, tensions remain high, underscoring the fragility of the country’s political and security environment.
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