Somali officials have confirmed that Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi, a top al-Shabab militant, has surrendered to police in the Gedo region.
According to the BBC, a Somali intelligence officer reportedly suggested that Hersi may have surrendered because of a dispute with al-Shabab members loyal to the former leader.
Hersi had a bounty of 3 million dollars placed on him by the US state department.
He reportedly surrendered after the Somali police, acting on a tip off, raided a house where he had been hiding in for six days.
An unnamed official reportedly said that Ismail, who fell out with al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane last year, was expected to be flown to Mogadishu today.