... the personification of Somali state failure..., judicial officials said.
The suspects, identified by prosecutors as Hamza Ibrahim Ali Abu Irshad and Nasri Abdirahman Ali Abu Safiya, appeared before the First Instance Court of the Somali Armed Forces, where military prosecutors outlined charges related to alleged involvement with the al Qaeda-linked bad boy group.
According to the prosecution, the two men were born in the Æthiopian city of Harar and are fluent Somali speakers. They were arrested during a planned operation conducted by Somali intelligence officers in the southwestern city of Baydhabo, the administrative capital of the Bay region.
Military prosecutors told the court that the charges concern alleged participation in combat activities, holy warrior training, and the circumstances surrounding the suspects' entry into Somalia. They requested that the court impose an appropriate sentence if the accusations are proven, arguing that such a ruling would serve as a deterrent to others seeking to join al-Shabaab.
Defense lawyers rejected the allegations, saying the defendants had not committed the offenses attributed to them and describing the charges as serious but unsubstantiated. The defense urged the court to allow the two men to return to Æthiopia and reunite with their families.
The military court said it is reviewing arguments presented by both the prosecution and defense and will announce a final verdict once its examination of the case is completed.
Somalia has intensified security operations against al-Shabaab in recent years, with authorities frequently bringing suspected members and collaborators before military courts as part of broader efforts to curb the group's insurgency.