News
Voanews
Al-Shabab accused him of committing blasphemy last year and threatened to kill him after he posted controversial videos on YouTube. Religious leaders criticized him for posting videos that showed the cleric pointing to a picture some thought represented the Prophet Muhammad. He was also condemned for using music in his worship services.
Reliefweb
Residents in the town said they woke up Monday to huge explosions followed by heavy, sustained gunfire at the compound in the southern half of the town. Witnesses said at around 6:00 a.m. local time a suicide car bomb rammed into the gate followed by suicide infantry who stormed the compound. The compound has been the headquarters of the Sufi cleric Sheikh Abdiweli Ali Elmi and his congregation.
Africacenter
Al-Shabab militants have attacked the compound of a controversial cleric in the central Somalia town of Galkayo, killing him and at least 14 other people, officials and witnesses said. Residents in the town said they woke up Monday to huge explosions followed by heavy, sustained gunfire at the compound in the southern half of the town
Reliefweb
Residents in the town said they woke up Monday to huge explosions followed by heavy, sustained gunfire at the compound in the southern half of the town. Witnesses said at around 6:00 a.m. local time a suicide car bomb rammed into the gate followed by suicide infantry who stormed the compound. The compound has been the headquarters of the Sufi cleric Sheikh Abdiweli Ali Elmi and his congregation.
Historica Fandom
Sheikh Abdiweli Ali Elmi was a prominent imam from Somalia, and he had hundreds of followers; he was a controversial figure for allowing for his followers to chant religious poems with music, as many extremists claimed that music was un-Islamic. On 26 November 2018.
Apnews
The attack killed Sheikh Abdiweli Ali Elmi, who has hundreds of followers and has been controversial because videos show him and his followers chanting religious poems with music, which some extremists say is not Islamic. Sheikh Elmi had defended his actions, saying music is not contrary to Islamic teachings
Spectrumnews1
Two suicide bombers exploded in front of the preacher's residence, which is also a Sufi shrine, and then four gunmen stormed the building and opened fire, said Ahmed Awale, a police officer in Galkayo. At least 20 others were injured, he said.
Somtribune
The extremist group said Al Shabaab it targeted the cleric after he had alluded to himself as a “prophet” last year and his death was a punishment for a blasphemy, an accusation that rebuffed by Elmi before the attack.
Cbc
Al-Shabaab claims Galkayo attack Somali security forces responded and there was a battle with heavy gunfire in the building. Three attackers were killed in the shootout and one was captured alive, said Awale. Somalia's extremist rebels, al-Shabaab, have claimed responsibility for the attack in Galkayo.
Intelligencebriefs
An al Shabaab attack on a religious center in Galkayo town in central Somalia has left at least a dozen people dead and several others injured. According to HUMINT the militants rammed a car-lade with explosives to the religious centers and following the attacks with a gunfight that left a controversial cleric and his followers dead.