Somali court sentences man for selling weapons to Al-Shabaab

[Deeq A.]

A military court Mogadishu has sentenced a man eight-year prison for secretly selling weapons to the Somalia-based Al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Al-Shabaab.

Addow Abdulle Ahmed, 36, was found guilty of delivering the weapons to Al-Shabaab, a group that is fighting to oust the UN-backed Federal government in Mogadishu for a decade.

Ahmed was detained last month by the Somali security forces and convicted of having sold more arms to the militants in certain areas in Lower Shabelle region.

Lawyers defending Ahmed disputed that there is no law banning black market arms dealership and asked the court the free the defendant.

The court has warned sale of illegal weapons and urged the security authorities to securitize and arrest the arms dealers, in an attempt to avert Al-Shabab from receiving weapons in the controlled areas.

In recent months, the Somali military court has stepped up sentences against alleged Al-Shabaab members and soldiers accused of killing.

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