FBI Helps Sudan Probe Attempt to Kill Premier, Minister Says
FBI Help Sudan Probe Attempted Killing of Premier, Minister Says
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping Sudan probe the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the North African nation said, reporting “many arrests” in connection with Monday’s incident.
The detained include foreigners, Information Minister Faisal Mohamed Salih said Wednesday in a statement on Sudanese TV, without giving further details. The FBI agents are providing technical assistance, he said.
Hamdok was traveling to his offices in the capital, Khartoum, when he was targeted in what authorities called a “terrorist bombing and shooting.” No one was seriously injured in the event that underlined the dangers Sudan faces as it attempts a transition to democracy following President Omar al-Bashir’s overthrow in April after months of protests.
The U.S. is helping Sudan after it requested support for the probe, the State Department said in an emailed response to questions. It didn’t say which U.S. organization was involved. There has been no credible claim of responsibility for Monday’s attack, which involved a small homemade explosive and seriously damaged one vehicle.
The assistance is the latest sign of rapidly warming ties between Washington and Sudan, which was an international pariah for much of Bashir’s 30-year reign.
In recent weeks, the transitional government has made a series of proposals -- including putting Bashir in front of the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and establishing Sudan’s first-ever official ties with long-time foe Israel -- in an attempt to restore its global standing.
The U.S. still lists Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, although it dropped economic sanctions in 2017. Sudanese officials say the removal of the designation is key to rebuilding the economy, shattered by decades of mismanagement.
--With assistance from Samuel Gebre.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nayla Razzouk at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Mark Williams
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