Four mosques closed indefinitely

General Service Unit and police officers keep guard outside the Masjid Swafaa Mosque in Kisauni as other officers were raiding the Mosque in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. During the raid, police officers managed to nett nine hand made petrol bombs, one hand grenade among other crude weapons. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Mombasa, Kenya: Authorities have shut down two more mosques in Mombasa in a widening crackdown on institutions suspected to be breeding grounds for terrorists.

The crackdown, which began on Monday morning, continued yesterday with police storming Swafaa Mosque in Kisauni at about 3am. Police said a machete-wielding man was arrested in the mosque, while others who were with him fled through a back door.

Another mosques, also in Kisauni, was also shut down yesterday. The indefinite closures of places of worship came only a day after the Government announced the closure of Musa and Sakina mosques in Majengo. The Standard has learnt the mosques will be closed indefinitely.

A senior police officer said the mosques were now crime scenes and would only be reopened once "responsible" committees are put in place to manage them.

Swafaa's link with extremists was exposed on October 24 this year when radical islamist youths seized it and forced out moderate imam Sheikh Hassan Juma Rashid who later resigned. The closure of Mina and Swafaa mosques was announced by Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia.

According to the police, the raid on Swafaa in the heavily populated Kisauni yielded a hand grenade, machete and a file (for sharpening), seven petrol bombs, "booster for accelerating explosions", pellets, bomb detonator and two rounds of 9mm bullets.

Other items recovered include literature expressing hatred for media and terrorist training material.

Ngatia said a man with a knife and a machete was seized in the Swafaa raid where no one was hurt. He further said another 109 people who were arrested in a subsequent swoop yesterday will be vetted and those found innocent released.

Responsible persons

''The mosques remain scenes of crime. Nobody should interfere with them for now,'' said Ngatia, adding that the Government wants mosques to set up committees of elders and responsible persons who police liaise with.

''We do not want to deal with youths who we believe are not accountable,'' he stated.

During the operation, a section of the Old Malindi Road was cleared of traffic and motorists had to use other routes to reach their destinations.

HAKI Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid said they were deeply concerned by the continued raids on mosques in Mombasa.

''It is very disturbing to note the police are making it their modus operandi to raid places of worship and violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of worshippers,'' he said.

Mombasa OCPD Geoffrey Mayek said no prayers will be held in the mosques until the operation, which is meant to rid the places of worship of suspected terrorists, is accomplished.

On Monday, police displayed guns, grenades, other arms and materials they said they recovered in the mosques. During the operation, they rounded up more than 200 men from the two mosques. Among those arrested, police said, were 24 youths who recently returned from Somalia where they underwent terrorism training from Al-Shabaab.

On Tuesday, the State charged 13 suspects arrested in the Monday raids with illegal possession of eight hand grenades at a Mombasa court.