Police gun down alleged terrorist in morning raid

Police in Mombasa Sunday raided a house in Bondeni where they shot a man they described as a terrorism suspect, and whom they blamed for the recent killing of a Russian and a German tourist in the Old Town.

Across the border in Lower Juba, Somalia, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) led an onslaught on Al-Shaabab fighters on Friday, killing 33 and injuring more than 100.

In Mombasa, County Police Commander Robert Kitur said the man who was gunned down in the early morning operation was a wanted terrorist. He said the suspect’s brother fled.

A contingent of anti-terrorism officers stormed the traditional Swahili house at 4.30am after a tip-off that the suspects were hiding there.

“The one who fled and whom we are hunting down is a very dangerous gangster. He is more dangerous because he received military training in Somalia and returned to train others, including the one who has been shot,” Mr Kitur said. He did not reveal the identity of the man who escaped.

Relatives identified the victim as Idris Ahmed, 26. Police said the brother who escaped had been under anti-terrorism police watch for some time.

“These are the terror suspects behind the killings of Russian and German tourists in Old Town. They are also linked to several terror acts in Mombasa,” the police boss said.

Mr Kitur said Ahmed had been hiding in the roof of the house from where he hurled a grenade at the police, but the device did not explode.

STRIPPED NAKED

However, his mother Ndhya Ahmed disagreed with the police version of events. According to her, Ahmed surrendered to the officers but was stripped naked, handcuffed and forced to lie on the floor before he was shot thrice in the head, chin and chest.

“They broke our doors while we were still asleep. They ordered everyone to lie down before they ransacked my bedroom and those of my children, turning mattresses and beddings upside down. After what seemed to be hours, I heard my son saying ‘I have surrendered officers, I have surrendered’. Then I heard three gun shots and all was quiet,” she said.

Before the officers left, they told her to arrange her things which had been scattered all over the floors. They left the doors open and walked outside.

“This is when I asked my son who is in Form Two to shut the door. But when he reached it, he found a body in a pool of blood. He came back running and told me that he had seen a body lying there. I came out and discovered it was Ahmed,” she recalled outside the Central Police Station where she went to record a statement.

She said the police had taken all the mobile phones and other items from the house but declined to tell her the reason when she demanded an explanation. She said she was given a piece of paper to sign that a grenade had been found in the search but she declined to do so.

CONDEMNED KILLING

Mvita MP Abduswamad Nassir and officials from the Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) and Haki Africa human rights NGOs condemned the killing which they described as extra-judicial.

“We demand witness protection as we have our people who could clearly identify the officers who pulled the trigger,” said the MP. He dismissed claims by the police that one suspect had escaped. According to him, the area had been sealed off by the police.

Muhuri chairman Khelef Khalifa challenged the government “to come clear” over shoot to kill orders that appear “to target Muslim faithful”.

Haki Africa Executive director Hussein Khalid warned that “extra-judicial killings” would encourage radicalistion and extremism among the youth.

“This radicalisation and extremism among our youth is being encouraged by these trigger-happy police officers. It will not solve the problem of crime, it is an illegal scheme of elimination by the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, KDF operating under the auspices of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) killed at least 33 fighters in an ambush which targeted two camps on Friday.

Al Shabaab fighters had fled from Barawe, a town which is about to be captured by Amisom forces.

A statement from the mission yesterday said: “During the raid, Al-Shabaab suffered heavy losses, including foreign fighters. Many Al-Shabaab militias were also wounded in the attack which completely destroyed the facility which was a hideout for the terrorists.”

The statement said KDF were assisted in the operation by Ugandan People Defence Forces (UPDF) who were advancing on Al-Shabaab’s hideout in Barawe.