Turkey demands explanation from Somalia over fatal traffic incident involving President's son
A Turkish official has requested Somalia's clarification following a deadly traffic accident involving Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, the son of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud.
The incident, which occurred on November 30 in central Istanbul, involved Mohamed driving a Somali consulate vehicle and colliding with a motorcycle courier, Turkish media reported.
According to the unnamed Turkish official, Mohamed, who was driving a diplomatically licensed car at the time of the accident, is not entitled to diplomatic privileges. "The use of these vehicles is restricted to those with diplomatic status," the official stated, emphasizing that Turkey had sought details from Somalia. With no diplomatic immunity applicable, the fact that the vehicle had diplomatic plates is irrelevant, the official added, noting that Turkey's Justice Ministry is overseeing the matter.
Somali authorities have not commented on the issue.
Following police questioning, Mohamed left Turkey on December 2, while the injured motorcyclist, 38-year-old Yunus Emre Gocer, was hospitalized. Gocer's subsequent death on December 6 led to an international arrest warrant for the Somali president's son, as announced by an Istanbul prosecutor.
The incident has prompted an inquiry into the police officers who initially evaluated the accident scene, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc revealed on social media on Sunday.
The case has generated significant public anger in Turkey, which maintains strong relations with Somalia. "We intended to monitor the legal proceedings, yet the suspect has fled," Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu expressed on Friday.
