"The Ethiopian government found them to be persona
non grata and they were immediately deported," he said. The men's
nationalities were not made public. The deportations come one week after
security forces arrested a Muslim religious leader in the Oromia region accused
of radical statements. A group of Muslims tried to free the imam and clashed
with police. Four of the demonstrators were killed and 10 police were wounded,
Shimeles said.
A number of suspects are in police custody. The
elders in the community there have helped contain the situation and it remains
peaceful since the incident," Shimeles added.
The country's Federal Ministry on Thursday issued a
statement accusing the unnamed group of trying to declare jihad against the
government and incite violence in a number of mosques across the country. The
statement said a dozen suspects were recruited by the group from the country’s
Oromia, Tigray and Amhara regions to carry out illegal activities are now in
police custody.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on April 17 told the
country's parliament that a few Salafis formed clandestine al-Qaida cells in
the Arsi and Bale zones of the country's southeastern region and are trying
"to erode the age-old tradition of tolerance between traditional Sufi
Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia." Ethiopia borders Somalia, where
al-Shabab militants have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida. More than half of
Ethiopians are Christian. About a third are Muslim. Source
( Boston ,com)
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