An attempt by the Eritrean regime, which received a severe blow on the battle and diplomatic fronts, to mastermind terrorist attacks have successfully been foiled, the National Intelligence and Security Service and the Anti-terrorism Taskforce under the Federal Police Commission said.

In a joint statement  they  disclosed that an attempt to launch a series of terrorist attacks masterminded by senior officials of the Asmara regime and Eritrean explosive experts have successfully been aborted.

The terrorist attacks had been planned to be carried out during the 8th African Union Summit in which several African leaders, the UN Secretary General, senior officials of the European Union the Arab League as well as various countries from across the world were taking part, the statement said.

The Eritrean regime resorted to such evil attempts when it became alienated from the international community owing to its role in backing and supporting terrorist groups in Somalia.

Addis Ababa, which is the seat of the African Union, has successfully hosted the 8th AU Summit though the Eritrean government had tried to carry out terrorist activities to disrupt the summit and endanger the security of the guests.

The statement said the summit was concluded successfully since the intended terrorist acts of the Eritrean government were exposed in time.

It said the successful completion of the AU Summit is a pride not only to the peoples of Ethiopia but also the peoples of Africa.

The statement noted that the AU Summit came soon after the Ethiopian defense forces and that of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia crushed extremist forces sponsored by the Eritrean government, international terrorists, and the Oromo Liberation Front.
 
This clearly shows the purely terrorist behavior of the Eritrean regime, it said.

According to the statement, the Eritrean government is alienated from the 8th AU Summit and from other international meetings since its terrorist activities brought about isolation in the political and diplomatic arena.

The plan of the Eritrean government to carry out terrorist activities in Addis Ababa was foiled successfully owing to the efficient and professional intervention of the national intelligence service and the anti-terrorism taskforce, the statement said.

Accordingly, the statement said, the service and the taskforce in collaboration with the public apprehended all perpetuators of the intended terrorist acts with their explosives and other accessories just ahead of the summit.

The identity of the people assigned to implement the intended terrorist acts as well as the extent of the sabotage would be made public in the near future, it said.