Somali Islamists May Execute Ethiopian 'Spies'
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MOGADISHU , October 20, 2006 – Two Ethiopians arrested in Mogadishu and accused of spying on Somalia's newly powerful Islamist movement will be charged with espionage soon and could be put to death, Islamist officials said on Friday.
The Islamists have declared holy war against Ethiopia, which it accuses of having invaded Somalia to prop up the interim government based in the provincial town Baidoa.
'The two Ethiopians were arrested some time ago for spying. They were found with documents that showed they were spying for Ethiopia,' Islamist spokesman Abdirahim Ali Mudey told Reuters.
'They are in our custody just like any other criminals but soon they will be charged according to sharia law.'
He did not name the men, who were arrested about a month ago, or give further details. Ethiopian officials were not immediately available to comment.
The Islamists, formed from a union of sharia courts, seized Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords in June then much of south Somalia, where they have imposed strict Islamic law.
Under sharia law, the two men could be executed if convicted.
'Sharia law states that spies should be executed,' another Islamist source, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
'It is upon the Islamic court to decide the method of execution. If they want to hack their heads off it is fine, and if they want to shoot them dead it is also fine. The two Ethiopians are just waiting to die,' he said.
Another Islamist source said the men would soon be paraded before journalists.
Although some Somalis complain of the harshness of the Islamists' rule, others credit them with bringing a semblance of order to a country starved of normalcy for 15 years since the ouster of a dictator.
Diplomats fear that if tension between the Islamists and the Somali government escalates, it could spark a major regional war in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopia , which says the Islamists are led by terrorists, denies sending any soldiers into Ethiopia expect military trainers requested by the government. But residents and diplomats say thousands of Ethiopian troops entered Somalia.
Source: REUTERS
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