Somali militant group al Shabaab has revealed that they launched a deadly attack on the 14 Riverside hotel and business complex because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The two page statement said: “The Mujahideen (holy warriors) carried out this operation … (as) a response to the witless remarks of U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his declaration of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel.”
On December 6, 2017, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy and recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, imperilling Middle East peace efforts and upsetting the Arab world and Western allies alike.
Trump announced his administration would begin a process of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step expected to take years and one that his predecessors opted not to take to avoid inflaming tensions.
