Man arrested ferrying six guns, 16 bullets

By CYRUS OMBATI

Mandera; Kenya A man has been arrested and six G3 rifles with16 bullets recovered from him in Elwak, Mandera at the Kenya-Somalia border.

The 53-year-old Somali national was ferrying the weapons on a donkey cart when police stopped him on Sunday afternoon. Also seized were six empty magazines and a spare barrel.

Police believe the weapons were being ferried to Garissa and Nairobi for unknown mission.

The suspect identified as Bishar Aden Bure was arrested along Elwak-Kutayo road by detectives who seemed to have been tipped off and is expected in court  Monday.

The recovery was the latest in a series that have been made in the area as police work to stop terrorists from ferrying weapons from Somalia.

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It happened at about 2pm on Sunday hours before a military soldier and a civilian were shot dead outside a shop in Garissa Town on Sunday.

A third victim, the owner of the shop, is admitted in hospital with a bullet lodged in his head. Police said he is in a stable condition.

North Eastern police boss Philip Tuimur said no arrest has been made following the Sunday evening incident.

The victims are said to have been seating outside the shop in the company of a fourth man who apparently survived after excusing himself for a while.

“After the man left, gunmen arrived and confronted the deceased pulling the trigger into their head at close range and escaped without stealing anything from them. We believe the motive was to kill the soldier,” said a senior officer in the area who asked not to be named.

Police arrived at the scene moments later but no arrest was made. The incident came two weeks after three soldiers were ambushed and killed as they attended to a puncture in the town prompting a crackdown and protest that led to destruction of property.

A suspect was arrested in connection with the soldiers’ killing and is facing various charges.

A parliamentary team is currently investigating the incident. The attacks are linked to last year’s decision by Kenyan troops to cross to Somalia to hunt for Al-Shabaab militants who had been blamed for various insecurity incidents in the country.

The troops now operating under Amisom, have displaced the terror group from various places and are pacifying the occupied regions.