Police: Blasts at Home of Somalia's New President

One person killed, but president is safe
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 12, 2012 9:13 AM CDT
Police: Blasts at Home of Somalia's New President
Somalia's new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks at a ceremony after being elected by the Parliament over President Sheik Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, Sept. 10, 2012.   (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Two explosions near the gate of the temporary home of Somalia's new president killed at least one person today, according to police. A police corporal said he was guarding the Somalia immigration department near the Jazeera Hotel when the blasts occurred. An official inside Jazeera Hotel, who asked for anonymity, says President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is safe.

Mohamud was elected Monday, beating Sheik Shariff Sheikh Ahmed, who was seeking re-election after leading a transitional government for three years. Mohamud is expected to form a fully functioning government for Somalia for the first time since 1991. Al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist militia that is waging an insurgency against the Somali government, opposed Mohamud's election saying it had been manipulated by the West. (More Somalia stories.)

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