Al-Shabaab takes responsibility for laptop bomb attack on Somali passenger plane

Al-Shabaab have officially claimed responsibility for the laptop bomb attack which blew a large hole in the side of a Somali plane. The al-Qaeda affiliated group released a statement, declaring the attack was meant to target 'senior Western officials' on board the flight, according to al-Jazeera.

It also claimed the attack was 'retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders & their intelligence agencies.' The deadly bomb was concealed inside a laptop and was constructed in such a 'sophisticated' way, it went through the X-ray scanners undetected at the airport. 

The dead bomber who was blown from the Somali jet from Mogadishu to Djibouti was meant to be flying on aTurkish Airlines flight, Daallo Airlines chief executive later confirmed. 

The explosion created a gaping hole in the fuselage and forced the plane to make an emergency landing back at the Mogadishu airport. 

The main suspect is believed to be a Somali national known as Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh. The bomber had been carefully instructed where to sit and how to trigger the deadly device. 

'That particular passenger (who was behind the blast) boarded the aircraft on a Turkish Airlines boarding pass and was on the list for the Turkish Airlines manifest,' Yassin said. 

Yassin told Al Jazeera that the passengers would continue their journey from Djibouti on a Turkish Airlines flight.  

'Turkish Airlines have not been in contact with us since the incident happened. You can say they are trying to distance themselves from the incident.' Olad said. 

CCTV video has since emerged showing the suspected bomber of the Somali plane at the exact moment when he is being handed a laptop in which the explosives were concealed. 

'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.