Harun Maruf a journalist with VOA and author of "Inside Al-Shabaab, the Secret History of Al-Qaeda's Most Powerful Ally," was labelled a threat to Somalia's national security by NISA.

In a statement released on the agency's twitter, NISA said that it would be taking legal action against Harun Maruf who they described as being a threat to Somalia's domestic security. It added that Maruf operated outside the acceptable boundaries of journalism and warned government institutions of working with him.

NISA did not indicate what the action would be or who Maruf was allegedly working with.

The vague statement was called into question by many who viewed it as a blatant attack on media and the weaponization of government institutions against a popular journalist.