(17-Feb-23) Mogadishu, Somalia – The business community in Beledweyne city was left in shock and sadness after the brutal murder of businessman Abdullahi Hassan Awale, known as Toor-toor. He was killed in a restaurant in the Hiran region of Somalia.
Eyewitnesses reported that several individuals entered the restaurant and started shooting Toor-toor before using explosives to flee the scene. Despite the efforts of patrons to apprehend the assailants, they were unsuccessful.
The security forces arrived promptly, but their efforts to apprehend the criminals have so far been unsuccessful. Although several individuals were arrested, they were later released due to a lack of evidence.
The motive behind Toor-toor’s murder remains unclear, but some reports suggest that he may have been killed because he refused to pay illegal money to certain groups in the area. Al-Shabaab and other groups are active in the region and have a history of demanding extortion money from business people in the south and central Somalia.
