Veteran broadcast journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey was shot dead by Islamic insurgents on Tuesday. Abkey, in his early 60s, was returning from work at the state-run Radio Mogadishu when three gunmen abducted him. Al-Shabaab insurgents called Radio Mogadishu to claim the murder. Abkey started out as a reporter in 1988, colleagues claim refused to bow to intimidation from Mogadishu’s warring factions. Although he was encouraged to live at the station for security reason, he continued to live in an area controlled by insurgents.