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Thursday March 21, 2024
The suspects were found in possession of various weapons, currency notes from different countries, bank books, and other documents (Photo: Ethiopian Federal Police/Facebook)
Addis Ababa (HOL) – The Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force has apprehended 50 people suspected of belonging to a covert group plotting terror and violence in Addis Ababa city and the bordering areas of the Oromia region.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the task force revealed that the group had been planning acts of terror. Recent coordinated efforts by regional and federal security forces thwarted the group’s attempts to incite chaos and violence in the Amhara region.
The clandestine group reportedly operated from bases in Addis Ababa and Menjar Shenkora in the North Shoa zone of the Amhara region. They allegedly trained a special armed force and collaborated with certain followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, using church premises as a center for their covert activities.
After secretly monitoring the suspects for five months, security forces seized various weapons, including firearms and explosives, as well as currency from different countries, bank records, and assorted documents.
During the operation, security forces arrested Nigatu Gebreyesus, also known as Abraham, identified as the group’s leader, along with Fasil Getachew and Tewolde Birhan, who were responsible for finance, logistics, and resource mobilization.
The statement also implicated Dawit Woldegiorgis, former military personnel, and media personalities Habtamu Ayalew and Mesay Mekonnen as coordinators of the covert group based in foreign countries.
They were alleged to have established connections with an armed group led by former opposition party leader Eskindir Nega. Additionally, the statement mentioned Wendosen Aseffa (PhD), assistant professor Sisay Awugechew, and Yordanos Aleme, who had been imprisoned since August 2023, as previous group leaders.
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