Somali man with chemicals apprehended at Mogadishu airport: AMISOM

MOGADISHU, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Somali man with chemical powder and liquid was arrested last month by African Union peacekeeping forces based in Mogadishu as he tried to board a plane at the international airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, spokesman for the AU forces said on Wednesday.

The incident is similar to a failed attempt by a Nigerian man this week to blow up a U.S. plane using chemicals hidden under his pants.

"We have intercepted the man before he boarded the plane because he was carrying nearly one kilogram of powder and almost one litter of liquid in a bag," Barigye Bahoku, spokesman for the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM), told Xinhua.

Bahoku said that AU forces apprehended the man in November and handed him over to the Somali government for further investigation.

He said that he was not aware of the nature of the powder or the liquid found with the man, adding that "the interception was a routine procedure" to prevent any liquid or chemical on board a plane.

Abdulahi Hassan Barise, Spokesman for the Somali police force, said that he had no knowledge of the man and that no such suspect is in police custody.

Barise strongly denied he talked to any foreign media about the matter which he said has never been reported to him.

Other senior government officials also denied knowledge of the incident or declined to comment on the matter.

Radical Islamist groups opposed to the Somali government carry out daily attacks, including suicide bombings, roadside bombs, on Somali government targets and AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

Several locally managed aircrafts make weekly flights from Somalia to neighboring African and Asian countries where travelers to other countries could further continue their journey.

African Union peacekeeping forces protect the main government installations in Mogadishu including the airport and seaport as well as the residences of senior Somali government officials.

Somali government security forces backed by AU forces on two previous occasions managed to capture counterfeit "black dollar" to be smuggled out of the Mogadishu airport. The officials said the fake dollars were meant to be used for carrying out terrorist activities.