The Reporter said the release of Berhe Shaebia, a mastermind of criminal activities carried out by his men known for wearing Ethiopian army uniforms, has become the talk of town because expectations were that the Federal High Court would probe further felonies.

Before the Eritrea-Ethiopia war of 1998-2000, Berhe Shaebia was head of now-defunct Red Sea Corporation, a phony, money-laundering and blackmarketeering enterprise run by the Eritrean regime of Isaias Afewerki, and was extensively engaged in illegal business deals, the newspaper said.

"How and when the Eritrean returned to Ethiopia after Shaebia whisked him off to Asmara following the start of armed conflict in May 1998, and how the government released such a high-profile criminal thug who was caught red-handed while trying to secure $1 million from a businessman, has become a puzzle Addis Ababans are trying to undo," the paper added.

The businessman, Mr. Wolela Mohammed, was held at gunpoint by Berhe Shaebia's men, escorted to Berhe's house, and was held till the money was secured. Police were tipped off the crime by the family of Mr. Mohammed, thus leading to the arrest of one of the notorious Shaebia men freely roaming Addis.

Recently, media reports confirmed that over 1,000 illegal Eritrean immigrants were captured after crossing border, and among those captured were several security workers of the Shaebia regime in Asmara.

However, many Ethiopian political observers dismiss the arrest as a publicity stunt on the part of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, whose image is seriously tarnished as an Eritrean mercenary who masquerades as Ethiopia's leader.