Somalia court sentences man to death over deadly bombing

MOGADISHU, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Somali court on Tuesday sentenced to death a man behind last year's truck bombing that claimed over 500 lives in the capital Mogadishu.

Chairperson of the military court in Mogadishu, Hassan Ali Nur Shute, said the court found Hassan Isak Ali, the driver of the minivan seized by security officers, guilty and condemned him to face the firing squad.

A second suspect, Abdiweli Ahmed Diriye, was handed a three-year jail term, while Ali Ibrahim Absuge was sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement.

A truck loaded with explosives swerved into the busy Km5 Junction on October 14 and burst into flames, killing hundreds trapped in their vehicles in what has been termed as the deadliest attack in the country's history

The Somali government put the death toll at 512 and blamed the militant group Al-Shabaab for the attack but the group has not claimed responsibility. Enditem