Mr Hersi, a leading figure in the militant group's
intelligence wing, surrendered to police in the Gedo region, local media
report.
In June 2012, the US state department offered $3m (£1.9m, 2.5m euros) for
information leading to his capture.
It comes three months after al-Shabab
leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US air strike.
A Somali intelligence officer, quoted
by the Associated Press news agency, suggested Mr Hersi may have surrendered
because of a dispute with al-Shabab members loyal to the former leader.
A BBC Africa editor Mary Harper said Somali intelligence had received a tip off that he was hiding in a town close
to the border with Kenya.
He fell out with Godane last year and
has been on the run ever since but he is still a powerful figure, she added.
Ahmad Umar was named the new leader
of al-Shabab, days after Godane's killing last September.
The US has supported the African
Union (AU) force that has driven al-Shabab out of the capital Mogadishu and
other towns since 2011.
The al-Qaeda-linked fighters want to
overthrow the UN-backed Somali government and frequently attack government
targets as well as neighbouring countries that provide troops to the AU force.
Three members of the AU force and a
civilian contractor were killed in an al-Shabab attack on its headquarters in
the capital Mogadishu on Thursday.
News Credit: BBC News
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