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Somali plane blast was a deliberate bombing attack

Officials said the bomb was intended to kill all those on board the plane Credit: Harun Maruf

An explosion which blasted a hole in the side of a Somali plane was caused by a bomb deliberately planted in the aircraft, the country's minister for transport has confirmed.

"We have confirmed that it was a bomb that exploded," Ali Ahmed Jamac told a news conference on Saturday.

"It was meant to kill all aboard."

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing inMogadishu after the explosion on Tuesday.

One elderly man, who is suspected of being the bomber, was sucked out of the side of the plane and died. Two other passenger suffered minor injuries.

Officials have not yet confirmed a motive for the bombing, though it is thought that it may have been the work of Islamist al Shabaab militants.