MOGADISHU, Somalia

The head of a Somali journalists association, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, is in the custody of police, the country's Information Ministry said.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the ministry said he is being held on a security-related charge and not related to his work as a journalist.

His arrest comes just days after the government banned the coverage of news related to al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab amid military offensives against the group in the country’s Hiran region.

Mohamed Ibrahim, the president of Somali Journalists Syndicate, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that Abdalle has been held incommunicado by the state intelligence and security agency.

“We warn the Attorney General office to avoid trumped-up charges, that will finally humiliate his offices credibility and trust to the public,” Ibrahim told Anadolu Agency.