March 11, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government spokesman on Wednesday announced the arrest of several people including foreigners suspected of being involved in the assassination of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok Last Monday.

In a regular meeting chaired by Hamdok, the Council of Ministers was briefed by the Interior Minister Lt Gen al-Tarifi Idris and Director of the General Intelligence Agency (GIA), Lt Gen Jamal Abdel Majid, about the bombing attack on the convoy of the Prime Minister last Monday 9 March.

The Minister of Information and government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh told reporters after the meeting that investigations into the incident are still continuing.

He further announced the arrest of several suspects, including foreigners, and confirmed the arrival of a team of U.S. security expert to join the investigation team.

Last February, the Sudanese security organs said they arrested a group of individuals manufacturing explosives in the Eastern Nile district of Khartoum state, including a foreigner.

They disclosed the terrorist elements planned to kill Sudanese officials tasked with the dismantlement of the former regime.

At the time, the prosecutor said the arrested individuals belong to an Islamist violent group without further details and they arrived in the country 6 months ago, with forged Syrian travel documents, to carry out bomb attacks.

"The government has requested the help of the (FBI) due to its experience and the modern technologies it has, especially as Sudan is a country that has no experience in dealing with this kind of incidents."

Saleh added that "international anti-terrorism treaties obligate states to make use of various experiences to address these issues".

The minister, also, said the GIA and police investigation teams are working in a joint team and that additional security measures have been taken to ensures the safety of the prime minister.

"There will be new security measures and plans to maintain the safety and security of the country. These measures will not affect public freedoms and rights granted to Sudanese citizens according to the Constitutional Document," he further added.

The Transitional Sovereign Council and the Council of Ministers on Tuesday evening held a joint meeting with the Force for Freedom and Change (FFC) to discuss the security situation in the country.

The tripartite meeting decided to expedite the reorganization of the Internal Security Agency and to affiliate with the Ministry of Interior.

Further, the meeting directed t enhance the monitoring and follow-up of all individuals belonging to terrorist or banned groups as well as groupuscules and organisations with anti-revolutionary goals and taking precautionary measures against them

(ST)