Giovanni Caravelli, the Head of Italian Intelligence Agency, traveled to Somalia on a surprise visit over the weekend.
His secret trip to the East African nation was announced by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) of Somalia.
Caravelli made the trip a few days before Somalia holds its much-awaited elections.
NISA posted Caravelli’s surprise visit on Twitter before deleting the tweet later in a move that left tongues wagging.
During his stay in Somalia, Caravelli held a closed-door meeting with Fahad Yasin, the Head of NISA and a close confidant of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.
Italy and Somalia have close diplomatic relations with the European nation investing heavily in different sectors in the Horn of Africa country.