Concern over killing terror suspects in Mombasa

One of the terror suspects shot at the Coast [Photo:Standard]

 

By Linah Benyawa

MOMBASA, KENYA: Pressure is mounting on the Government to explain the recent spate of killings of suspected terror suspects even when they could have been arrested.

Questions have emerged on the source of intelligence used by anti-terror police leading to the sudden spike in what rights activists describe as extrajudicial killings.

Rights groups allege that an elite police squad has compiled a list of people to be exterminated on alleged terror links which has, reportedly, been shown to some former terror suspects.

The current round of killings began on May 26 this year when a 19-year-old suspect, Khalid Ahmed, was gunned down in his mother’s house at Kwa Bulo in Kisauni estate of Somalia.

Police said he was a fugitive who had jumped bail on terrorism charges in Kilifi last September.

New killings have begun in the same area amid reports that the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia have provided some evidence responsible for renewed elimination of terror suspects.

On Monday, outgoing Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli said Kenyan authorities had received crucial intelligence  from Kenyan terror fugitive  Fuad Abubakar Manswab.

This intelligence report according to Mr Adoli had uncovered terror networks in Mombasa and other parts of Kenya.

Mr Adoli did not explain further but added that the suspects killed recently were gunned down after engaging police in a gun fight.

But relatives of Omollo say he was executed in cold blood after being arrested in his house.

Last week alone Kassim and Salim Mohamed Nyiro linked to Al Shabaab were killed by police officers in an early morning and afternoon raids in their homes.

These killings are among six other men suspected to be terrorists who have either been killed by police or disappeared in unclear circumstances since May.

Firefight

Omollo was gunned down after anti-terror police officers raided his Mlaleo home while Nyiro was killed nine hours later at his home in Kiembeni area, a few kilometres from Omollo’s home.

The five storeyed flat in Mlaleo Magorofani where Omollo lived with his wife and four children, bore gunshot marks signifying a fire fight before Omollo was felled.

An AK 47 rifle, two hand grenades, 120 rounds of live 7.3 special ammunitions, a clock pistol with 92  rounds of ammunitions, fake Sh1,000 currency notes, devices for making explosives, a mobile phone and a number of note books were recovered.

Blood stains littered the staircases leading to his two bedroom house which appeared to have been turned upside down as police searched the premises.

While in Nyiro’s Kiembeni home, an AK 47 rifle and 145 rounds of ammunitions were recovered following the raid.

Both Kenya Defense Force officers and the Anti Terrorist Police Unit officers were involved in the day long operation.

Kisauni DCIO Shadrack Juma, said the suspect had received military training in Somalia and had returned to help the Al Qaeda backed Al Shabaab carry out an attack.

Mr Juma argued Ahmed was a dangerous man and had jumped bail in a Kilifi court after being charged with possession of explosives.

Juma said the man had been on the run since he was released on bail by a Kilifi court after he was charged with being in possession of explosives without lawful authority.

Police described Omollo and Nyiro as most wanted terror suspected who had gone to Somalia and back and had been associated with a slain Al Qaeda leader who masterminded the August 7, 1998 bombing of US Embassy in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Kassim on the other hand was described as an expert bomb maker trained with Al Qaeda allied terrorists in Somalia as well as a past accomplice of slain Al Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah Mohamed who was killed in Mogadishu on June 11, 2011.

Accomplice

Kisauni Deputy OCPD Thomas Sangut described Kassim as “one of the most wanted terrorists” and added that Nyiro was killed as he ‘ran towards his bedroom for his gun’, implying the suspect was attempting to kill the security men who had raided his home in Kiembeni.

Mr Sangut said that the information they got from the phones police confiscated from Omollo led them to Nyiro since the two suspects were said to have been in communication and they were able to get hold of Nyiro at his home in Kiembeni.

He added that they had information that Omollo was also an accomplice of Fazul Abdalah Mohamed, who had a US$5 million price tag on his head as one of the most wanted terrorist by the US Government. He was killed inside Somalia in 2011.

Security officials claimed they had received crucial intelligence from a Kenyan terrorist fugitive living in Somalia and the list of documents recovered from Kassim early Monday.

Top ranked

“We managed to gun down Omollo, who was one of the most wanted terrorists police have been looking for  and recovered a cache of firearms, ammunitions, subversive literature, explosive making devices, a DVD  cassette  and mobile phones,’’ Mr Sangut said.

He said that they had information that Omollo was a trained bomb expert and one of the top ranked Al Shabaab commanders living in Kenya.

Swaleh Abdulmajid, the son-in-law of slain radical Islamist Sheikh Aboud Rogo and Ali Kassim Omondi had openly reported that they feared for their lives.

Abdulmajid and Abubakari Shariff alias Makaburi claimed: “We might be shot any time and we fear for our lives because police have sworn that they are going to murder us, some of the men who have been suspected to be involved in terror activities had been brutally murdered while some disappeared in unclear circumstances,” said the two.

The two claimed there were efforts by police officers to kill all men suspected to be involved in terrorism activities.

Concerns

“Police work  is to arrest and charge any suspect involved in criminal activities, why don’t the police arrest, prosecute and wait for the courts to determine whether the suspects are guilty before killing them, we are afraid that we could also end up dying mysteriously,” said Shariff.

A Muslim rights group (Muhuri) also expressed concerns over the killings of suspected terrorist arguing that since last year, 19 men believed to have links with the Al Shabaab terror group have either been killed or disappeared and no explanation has been given to the rights group or families of the slain men.

“We want all those officers involved in the killings of men suspected to be terrorists investigated and prosecuted. Since 2012, about 19 men suspected to have links with Al Shabaab terror group have been killed and some disappeared mysteriously,” said Muhuri Executive Director Hussein Khalid.

Mr Khalid said police ought to have given the suspects a chance to defend themselves in a court of law instead of executing them.

But a question has arisen on where police get information linking the slain suspects with terrorism activities.

 Mr Sangut and Mr Adoli say they had informers who dish out such information to police.