The Benadir regional court has issued a statement summoning six suspects, mostly foreigners, on suspicion of spying and disseminating information on national security. In this affair, four foreigners and two Somali citizens Prosecuted For Espionage.
The defendants are:
1 – Matt Bryden
2 – Kheyre Abdirahman Rage
3 – Rashid Abdi
4 – Emmanuel Deisser
5 – Colin Robinson
6 – David Hopkins
The statement mentioned they have been informed that they will be arraigned in the Benadir Regional Court, where they will face criminal charges such as disseminating national security information, conducting political and military spying, and violating the country’s laws.
Four of the men are foreigners, while the other two are Somali citizens.
“The Benadir Regional Court orders the above accused to appear in court on Saturday, May 29th, 2021, to defend themselves against the charges,” the statement from the Benadir Regional Court said.
Among the men charged is Matt Bryden, former director of the Somalia-Eritrea Arms Embargo Monitoring Group (SEMG) and director of the Sahan Research, a lobby group.
The other foreigners are experts in military warfare and lobbying while the Somalis are employed by Sahan Research.
Since 1991, Somalia’s dire situation has attracted NGOs, think tanks, and mercenary companies like Blackwater whose sole purpose is to profit from the chaos.
The idea of losing the very lucrative Somalia to a nationalist government worries these organizations which employ thousands of Somalis, including politicians, intellectuals and journalists.
