Government security agents on Saturday arrested the Wadajir Party Chairman Mr. Kamal Gutale and Secretary General Mr. Sayid Ali at a Mogadishu Hotel, Radio Dalsan reports.
The two party leaders were arrested at the Hotel Makkah Mukaramah where they had met for a lunch meeting with Wadajir affiliated Mps and senators.
It is not yet clear why Mr. Gutale and Mr. Ali were arrested.
The pair were later released and held a conference to condemn the arrest.
Mr. Gutale told reporters identified the security personnel as Nisa intelligence agents.
“While were at the hotel taking lunch about 30 masked men raided the place and asked us to raise our hands up. They ordered us to put away phones away and not to move. It was horrifying” Gutale said.
They were later released after a phone call by an unknown person to one of the agents.
Gutale alleges the arrest was directly ordered by Villa Somalia.
The government is yet to issue a statement about the arrest and the two party officials are now accusing it of targeting the party and illegally detaining its officials.
December 18 the party’s presidential candidate Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame was arrested by NISA agents at the party’s headquarters in a night raid that led to the killing of 5 bodyguards.Â
“The Party Leader strongly condemns this act of political intimidation which is becoming a pattern for the government” Warsame tweeted early Sunday in reaction to the arrests.
Warsame had been arrested for allegedly conspiring to destabilize the Farmaajo administration with the help of foreign countries.
