The al-Shabaab terrorist group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the bombing of a passenger jet earlier this month in Somalia.
The East African Islamist group said in a statement that the explosion was meant to target Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces on a plane bound for Djibouti on Feb. 2, NBC reported.
The bomb exploded shorty after the plane took off from Mogadishu, blowing a hole in the fuselage of the Airbus A321 and sucking out the suspected bomber.
The group said they planned the bombing as “retribution” for acts against Somali Muslims, according to NBC.
A source within the group told Al Jazeera that their initial target was a Turkish Airlines jet, but only attacked Daallo Airlines after Turkey’s national carrier cancelled its flight to the Somali capital.
The bomb was intended to destroy the entire plane, but it failed.
The group has vowed to continue such attacks, NBC reported.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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