Abdulkadir, a freelance journalist, was killed when a suicide bomber drove a car containing explosives into a restaurant in the south central Somali town of Baidoa, according to reports. The restaurant was routinely frequented by local officials and journalists, according to news reports and local journalists.
Another journalist, cameraman Mohamed Isaq, was among the 15 killed in the attack. Three other journalists were wounded.
In a radio message aired on the Al-Shabaab-run Radio Andalus, the militant group’s spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Mus’ab, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was targeting Ethiopians, spies, and officials, local journalists said. Somali journalists are often referred to as spies by the militia group, which has links to Al-Qaeda and has fought for control of Somalia since 2006.
Abdulkadir, 27, contributed to several outlets including the Somali Channel TV, Star FM and Radio Baidoa, local journalists told CPJ. He had covered events in Baidoa for several years and reported on the military takeover from the Al-Shabaab insurgents, local journalists said. He also covered local politics for the outlets, Star FM Director Ismail Yusuf said.
Abdulkadir was survived by a wife and three children.