The blast that ripped a hole in a commercial jet might have been caused by a bomb that was concealed in a laptop.
Somali intelligence officials investigating the blast released a surveillance footage on Sunday, appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which a bomb might have been concealed.
The blast on Tuesday ripped a hole in the Daalo Airlines plane fuselage shortly after it took off from Somalia’s main airport, killing one person and forcing an emergency landing.
The newly released footage shows the suspected bomber being handed a laptop by two other men, one of whom is wearing a security jacket, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said.
“There are investigations going on and about 15 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident,” a Somali security official who asked not to be named told AFP.
“The initial investigation results indicate that the bomb was planted in a laptop and was carried by one of the passengers.
“A CCTV camera recorded some of the activities and the attack is believed to have been coordinated by a network of individuals, many of whom have been arrested and are being investigated,” the source added.
Initially, the authorities had attributed the blast to sudden air decompression. Following the investigation however, Transport and Aviation Minister Ali Ahmed Jama blamed a bomb.
The blast punched a one-metre (three-foot) hole in the side of the Airbus A321 about 15 minutes after it had taken off from Mogadishu heading for Djibouti.
A passenger identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.
Serbian pilot Vladimir Vodopivec told a Serbian newspaper he immediately suspected a bomb, adding he was able to make a forced landing after the explosion did not damage his navigation system.
