Monday, June 04, 2007
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MOGADISHU, June 4 (Reuters) - Ethiopian soldiers shot dead a would-be suicide bomber on Monday, blowing up his vehicle as it raced toward their command headquarters in the Somali capital, a security official said.
"An Ethiopian sharpshooter on a rooftop fired a machinegun at the car, instantly killing the suicide bomber and blowing up the car, which was filled with explosives," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
An 18-year-old man walking nearby was injured, the official said.
The would-be attacker had already raced his car through two checkpoints, where Ethiopian and Somali government troops had opened fire on the vehicle, the official said.
A Reuters reporter heard the explosion, which occurred in a western area of the city on a major route in and out of the seaside capital.
The incident came one day after a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle rigged with explosives at the compound of Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, killing seven people.
Source: Reuters, June 04, 2007