The money was found in three unmarked bags on a Royal Jet plane, according to the Somali interior ministry, and its seizure resulted in an hours-long standoff between airport officials and UAE embassy staff in Mogadishu. Somalia and UAE relations have been tense since last June when Somalia decided to remain neutral in Persian Gulf political matters.
Somalia seizes US$9.6 million from three bags arriving on a Royal Jet flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in the midst of diplomatic tensions between the nations.