Government spokesman Ismael Mukhtar Omar confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, saying Isack Nishow accused of planning terror bombings in Somalia was arrested in Baidoa in southwest part of the country on Tuesday.

"Nishow was arrested in a security raid in Baidoa as Somali forces intensify operations in the region," said Omar, adding that security forces also recovered a suicide vest, AK47 and magazines of ammunition during the arrest.

The government forces have been on major offensives against al-Shabab extremists in central and southern Somali regions, but the militants still hold swaths of territory in those regions, conducting ambushes and planting roadside bombs.