Captain Vlatko Vodopivec, the pilot who had landed a jetliner in Somalia with a large hole on its fuselage

The Serb pilot who landed a jetliner in Somalia with a large hole in its fuselage says he has never doubted that it was caused by a bomb and describes the security at Mogadishu Airport as “zero.”

After initially saying there was no sign of foul play, Somali officials said Saturday that a suicide bomber is suspected to have set off the explosive inside the plane.

They said the blast sucked a male passenger out of the plane and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing Tuesday in Somalia’s capital.

The pilot, Vlatko Vodopivec, blamed the incident on the lack of security at Mogadishu Airport, describing the facility as “chaotic.”

He says in an AP interview that Somali investigators initially tried to put the blame on his airline company.

Somali plane hit by bomb, meant to kill all on board: minister

A blast that punched a hole in the fuselage of a plane this week was caused by a bomb meant to kill everyone on board, Somalia’s minister for transport and aviation said on Saturday.

One passenger died and two were injured in the explosion on the Airbus A321, operated by Somali company Daallo Airlines. It was forced to make an emergency landing at Mogadishu airport on Tuesday.

United States investigators believe the attack was carried out by Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, but there has been no comment from the organisation.

“We have confirmed that it was a bomb that exploded in the Daallo Airlines flight. It was meant to kill all aboard,” the minister, Ali Ahmed Jamac, told a news conference.

He said authorities were pursuing suspects, without going into further detail.

An aircraft belonging to Daallo Airlines is parked at the Aden Abdulle international airport after making an emergency landing following an explosion inside the plane in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

An aircraft belonging to Daallo Airlines is parked at the Aden Abdulle international airport after making an emergency landing following an explosion inside the plane in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

Related articles across the web

• Somali plane hit by bomb, meant to kill all on board: minister
• Officials: Blast on Somalia airplane was caused by bomb
• Man sucked out as explosion forces plane to make emergency landing in Somalia
• Blast on Somalia airplane Tuesday 'was caused by bomb'
• FBI agents in Mogadishu to probe suspected blast on aircraft
• Explosives residue found on Somalia jet
• Blast On Somalia Airplane Tuesday 'Was Caused By Bomb'
• Airline CEO: Explosive residue found in Somalia incident
• Airline CEO: Explosive residue found in Somalia plane incident
• Investigators looking into blast on plane find new clue