Ethiopia claims foiling terrorist attack after US warning

The US Embassy in Addis Ababa urged American citizens residing or traveling to Ethiopia to exercise caution over a possible attack by a Somali terrorist group.

The safety advisory in the embassy said was issued due to threat from Al-Shabaab against Ethiopia and western interests in Ethiopia. Citing to multiple and ongoing credible threats, the US embassy urged its citizens to take the highest precautions to maintain their personal safety and security.

US and Canadian embassies in Addis Ababa issued alerts that terror groups want to attack Ethiopia and Western interests inside Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian  news media  claimed that  Alshabaab plans to bomb some targets in Addis were foiled after the security forces captured a bomber who is suspected to be a member of Alshabaab. Security officials in Ethiopia say, Ashabaab have at several times tried to carry out bomb attacks inside Ethiopia but were unsuccessful.

The US embassy said that there have been a number of incursions along the Ethiopian-Somali border in recent weeks urging its citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to enhance personal security.

“While there is no known specific information regarding the timing or location of an attack, we would like to remind U.S. citizens to be especially vigilant in areas where large numbers of US and western citizens congregate, including restaurants, hotels, bars, places of worship, supermarkets, and shopping malls” the statement said.

According to Ethiopian government unverified report last  October , a bomb killed two Alshabaab members who were trying to plant it . This   incident happened at Bole Mekaa'iil in Addis Ababa. Police believe that they were intending to explode that bomb at Addis Ababa Football Stadium where a match

would take place.