Somali court sentences al-Shabab member to 10 years for plotting against Ramla Ali

Wednesday March 25, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — A Somali military court has handed down a 10-year prison sentence in a case prosecutors say involved plans to track and potentially target one of the country’s most recognizable athletes, boxer Ramla Ali, during her visit to Mogadishu.

On Tuesday, the court convicted Abdisalaam Mohamed Hassan, widely known as “Aamusane,” of membership in al-Shabab and sentenced him to a decade behind bars. Prosecutors told the court he had been part of the group since 2014 and accused him of espionage, participation in assassination and bombing units, and surveillance of government installations. They also alleged he gathered intelligence intended to enable attacks on prominent individuals, including Ali.

The panel, led by Col. Hassan Ali Nur Shute, concluded Abdisalaam operated within al-Shabab’s intelligence apparatus, the “Amniyat.” Prosecutors said he leveraged electrical skills to gain access to and evaluate key sites across Mogadishu, mapping locations and pinpointing possible targets.

Court officials said Abdisalaam had previously fled a rehabilitation center before being re-arrested and brought to trial.

Also charged in the same proceedings, Fadumo Osman Subeyr Ali was found guilty of sheltering Abdisalaam. The court ordered her to serve one year under security surveillance.

Ali, 35, who prosecutors said was among those allegedly targeted, addressed the case in an interview with BBC Somali, framing it not as a private score but as a fight over the direction of the country.

“I left Mogadishu when I was young, and I returned when I was successful and a hero,” she said. “That journey beautiful and painful is the victory of Somalia.”

Ali said she had confidence in Somalia’s courts and security institutions, arguing the episode underscored a clash of rival futures for the nation.

“There are two Somalias confronting each other: a developing Somalia and forces that fear that development. I represent the first,” she said.

She rejected fear as an extremist tool and said the alleged threats would not deter her from returning to Mogadishu.

During her recent trip to the capital, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud honored Ali at the Presidential Palace, presenting her with an honorary certificate recognizing her achievements.

Born in Mogadishu in 1989, Ali fled the country with her family during the civil war after her brother was killed in a mortar attack. The family later settled in London, where she took up boxing as a teenager.

Her rise in the sport has been marked by a string of firsts and titles: she captured England’s national novice title in 2015 and the elite national championships in 2016, then secured the African Zone featherweight title in 2019. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, she became the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics. In 2022, she again broke ground as the first woman to compete in a sanctioned professional bout in Saudi Arabia, winning by first-round knockout.

Ali’s profile extends well beyond the ring. A feature film based on her life is currently in production, and she has published a memoir while serving as an ambassador for international brands.

Court officials did not indicate whether Abdisalaam intends to appeal the verdict.