al-shabaab Militants blamed for suicide bomb that killed ministers

The Somali government blamed al Qaida-linked Islamic militants for a suicide bombing that killed 22 people in the capital, as government officials buried three Cabinet ministers killed in the attack.The bombing on Thursday ripped through a university graduation ceremony at an upscale hotel in Mogadishu, killing medical students, doctors, journalists and three government ministers.Somalia’s most powerful Islamic militant group said it was not responsible for the attack, but government officials said on Friday that al Shabab denied responsibility only because so many Somalis had been angered by the bombing.“The investigation is still under way to uncover evidence of who might have been behind the attack, but we already know that this is the work of al Qaida through its affiliated group al Shabab, because of the nature of the attack and the tactics used,” said Security Minister Abdullahi Muhammad Ali.Al Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage denied involvement and said “we are very sad about it”. He blamed the government for the bombing, an accusation vehemently denied by Somali officials.“Mogadishu residents are angry and al Shabab doesn’t want to earn the wrath of the angry population. The people here are on the verge of revolt against them,” Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle said, explaining al Shabab’s denial.
Mr Gelle said that no Somali had ever become a suicide bomber to avenge a clan dispute, butthat many times suicide bombings had been carried out “because of twisted religious beliefs”.
Al Shabab has claimed responsibility for past suicide attacks in Somalia, and has never denied carrying out an attack. But militant groups tend to distance themselves from bombings that kill large numbers of civilians – attacks that could draw popular outrage.The government buried the three Cabinet ministers killed in the blast, holding a ceremony at a Mogadishu hospital heavily guarded by government forces and African Union peacekeepers fearful that militants might try another attack.The president and prime minister of the weak, UN-backed government attended
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2009/12/05/somalia-militants-blamed-for-suicide-bomb-that-killed-ministers-91466-25325909/