Two suspects arrested over Mpeketoni killings
What you need to know:
- Ahmed Abdallah is alleged to be the owner of a vehicle said to have been used by the gunmen to perpetrate the attacks.
- The second suspect, Salim Dyana, claimed to have been hired as a driver for one of the vehicles used in the attacks for Sh20,000, police said.
Police have arrested two suspects in connection with Sunday’s attack and a subsequent raid on Monday in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, that left more than 60 people dead.
One suspect, Ahmed Abdallah, is alleged to be the owner of a vehicle said to have been used by the gunmen to perpetrate the attacks.
Mr Abdallah is also claimed to be linked to Plot 270 land in Mpeketoni where some of the squatters living on it were killed and was Wednesday morning recording a statement with police.
The second suspect, Salim Dyana, claimed to have been hired as a driver in one of the vehicles used in the attacks for Sh20,000, police said.
The arrests came as Inspector General David Kimaiyo appointed a new District Administration Police commander Mr John Njenga Miiri, who has already taken charge of the situation.
Mr Miiri’s appointment follows the suspension of top security officials in the area, who are blamed for being negligent regarding the attacks.
On Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta blamed the police for not acting on intelligence on the impending attacks and said that some officers would be charged in court for abdicating their responsibility.
SITUATION CALM
The situation in the town was calm Wednesday morning, with hundreds of paramilitary GSU officers having been dispatched to the area.
Some of the residents, terrified by the killings and seeking to flee the area, urged the government to provide transport for them to move to other areas.
Another group whose vehicles were burnt during the raid by the gunmen asked police to sign abstract certificates to help them make insurance claims.
They said the police were reluctant to sign the papers and were, therefore, seeking an audience with the Inspector General Kimaiyo.
Mr Kimaiyo, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Joseph Ole Lenku, Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo and other top security officials are in the town in the wake of the attacks.
On Wednesday morning, the officials were held up in a closed-door meeting to deliberate on the security situation.
