Police caution on terrorist attacks during festive season

A security alert has been sounded following reports that 11 terrorists are planning to carry out attacks in the country during the festive season.

Some of them have been on the police watch list of most wanted terrorists for more than a year but fled to Al-Shabaab camps in Somalia.

Intelligence reports label them as “armed and dangerous” and indicate they may have sneaked back into the country.

Large billboards of their photographs have been erected in counties bordering Somalia.

Similar billboards were mounted in Nairobi when their identities were first made public.

The billboards also display police hotlines 999, 112, 020-2199151 and 0702432877.

“The public is urged to provide information regarding their whereabouts but are warned that they are armed and dangerous,” according to the police.

Among the suspects is Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi aka Musa Muhajir, a Somali who lived in Mombasa but was deported.

His associates are Abdalla Muumin Abdalla, Suleiman Mohamed Awadh, Abdalla Siraj Marum, Mohamed Ali Ahmed and Hussein Said Omar alias Babli.

They are wanted for either planning or taking part in the Mpeketoni attacks of June 2014.

The others are Issa Abdalla Ahmed alias Kauni and Abdikadir Abubakar Abdikadir who were reported missing by their families in November last year.

They fled their home in Malindi to join Al-Shabaab.

Kauni, 24, who worked as a driver in Malindi attended Malindi Progressive Secondary School and Sir Ali bin Salim Primary School.

WANTED CRIMINALS
Abdikadir is the brother of Khadijah Abubakar Abdikadir, one of the three young women charged in court after they were arrested at El-Wak in Mandera while attempting to cross the border to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab in March, this year.

Former footballer Anwar Yogan Mwok, 34, who once played for Mathare United Football club, is also on the list.

Together with Omar Patroba Juma alias Patroba Juma Owiti, they have been linked to the botched June attack on the Kenya Defence Forces camp in Baure, Lamu, in which 18 terrorists and three soldiers died.

The footballer was born in Siaya and joined Al-Shabaab in 2013.

Omar Patroba, 33 was also born in Siaya and is wanted together with his wife Shamim Wanjiru Hussein.

Another suspect, Ismael Mohamed Shosi alias Ismael Mmanga, has been linked to the assassination of Sheikh Mohamed Idriss, a cleric who preached against radicalisation of the youth.

Mmanga normally dons a buibui to hide his identity and is also wanted for the killing of police detective Mohamed Ibrahim, who was shot dead in Mombasa’s Old Town on March 25.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened in Lamu County after Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked motorists at Milihoi, about 10 kilometres from Mpeketoni, killing three people and seriously injuring two others on Wednesday night.

ATTACK VICTIMS

One of the injured, an Administration Police officer, is the driver of the Lamu County Police Commander Chrispus Mutali.

Mr Francis Muli was still in hospital on Thursday.

One civilian in the police vehicle Mr Muli was driving was shot dead, while another, identified as Mr Francis Njuguna, 28, was shot on the left thigh.

The gunmen struck at around 7pm, shooting and killing a lorry driver and his loader. They also burnt down the lorry.

However, the director of Linda Boni operation, Mr James Ole Seriani, said only one person was killed and two others injured in the ambush.

A police report indicated that at least 16 Al-Shabaab gunmen dressed in military uniform also took off with the policeman’s Ceska pistol with 15-rounds of ammunition.

Additional reporting by Kalume Kazungu and Galgalo Bocha