Ethiopia arrest five suspects involved in a botched suicide bomber plot during Ethiopia vs Nigeria

Ethiopia arrest five suspects involved in a botched suicide bomber plot during Ethiopia vs Nigeria

The police in Ethiopia have arrested five more people connected with the planned terror attack during the Ethiopia versus Nigeria World Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa.

After the 2-1 win by the Super Eagles of Nigeria, there were reports that two suicide bombers accidentally blew themselves up a few kilometers from the stadium where the match was holding.

Read excerpt of  Reuters report below:

The men who plotted the attack were all Somali nationals belonging to the militant Islamist group al Shabaab, Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and Federal Police said in a joint statement, read out on state television.

"The plan was to hurl bombs at crowds gathered around the stadium and two malls, then enter the stadium and carry out a suicide attack," one of the suspects said on Ethiopian Television.

 The two men who died in October had returned to their rented house in the Bole district of the Ethiopian capital because of heavy security, wearing the explosive vests which they had planned to detonate once inside the stadium, the suspect said.

They set off the explosives accidentally, government officials said. Three suspects were detained at the scene, where security forces found hand grenades and football shirts.

Thursday's statement did not disclose when or where the five suspects were arrested.

A local news report on the botched suicide bomber plot (not in English) can be seen below.