Man dies while planting Improvised Explosive Device in Garissa

By CYRUS OMBATI

 GARISSA, KENYA: A man was killed in Garissa town on Wednesday night after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) he was planting exploded.

 He was planting the IED on the roadside near the Garissa Provincial General Hospital.

The explosion jolted nearby buildings as confusion engulfed the town at about 9 pm.

Locals called The Standard newsroom saying they had heard loud explosion but did not know the cause.

The body parts of the suspected terrorist was scattered at the scene.

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North Eastern Police chief Charlton Murithi said they heard the explosion on Wednesday night but they came to realize of death on Thursday morning.

He said they suspect the man may have been trying to set the bomb when it went off. The road is usually busy and used by many motorists including security agents.

“The explosion could have caused deaths and destruction. The impact was huge,” said Murithi.

Murithi urged residents to assist security personnel in fighting terrorism by reporting suspicious activities.

Witnesses said they saw the officers collect dismembered body parts of the victim and taking his fingerprints for confirmation of his identity.

Garissa has been a town under siege from terrorists who attack at will targeting security agents and locals.

In February, 2013 a similar explosion killed three people at a dais at Garissa Primary School grounds just before an official function took place.

 A pistol belonging to an officer killed late last year was recovered at the crime scene.

Wednesday night incident comes barely three weeks after ten people were killed in a restaurant in the area in an attack.

The assault is the latest in a series that have been reported in the area in the past years since Kenyan troops crossed to Somalia to hunt Al Shabaab militants who have been blamed on several insecurity incidents.