Ethiopia Reports Thwarted Attack on Emirati Diplomatic Mission

By Staff, Agencies

Ethiopian security forces have thwarted a plot to attack the United Arab Emirates embassy in the capital city of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Press Agency reported Wednesday.

The report cited a statement from the Ethiopian intelligence as saying that 15 individuals had been arrested over suspected links to the plot.

The security services also seized firearms, explosives and documents, with the cell said to be taking orders from abroad.                

“The group took the mission from a foreign terrorist group and was preparing to inflict significant damage on properties and human lives,” the report said, as cited by Reuters.

The state news agency also reported that another group had been planning an attack on the Emirati embassy in Sudan, with Ethiopian and Sudanese intelligence services working together.

According to the report, one of those orchestrating the attack in Ethiopia had been arrested in Sweden, with FANA, a state-linked news outlet, identifying him as Ahmed Ismael, the terrorist group's ringleader and a Swedish resident.