Student Killed, hundreds held after raid on two mosques in Mombasa

A secondary school student was killed in simultaneous early morning police raids on two controversial mosques in Mombasa during which authorities claimed weapons, including grenades and pistols, were seized.

Some 251 suspects were arrested and police alleged that among them were 24 militants who had reportedly returned from terrorist training in Somalia.

The police operation sparked protests in the coastal town rocked by recent terror attacks, assassination of imams, and a similar raid on February 2 to stem the tide of radicalisation that has scarred the tourism sector.

Ali Fahmy, 17, a student at Mvita Boys Secondary School, was killed on the third floor of Musa Mosque following the 4.30am raid and his body lay in the mosque under police guard until last evening.

The actual motive behind the raids and manner of Ali's death are unclear, although police claimed they raided the place of worship to flush out armed militants who they said had stockpiled weapons.

Police displayed grenades, pistols, electronic material, books and a laptop, which they alleged were recovered from undisclosed locations inside the two mosques.

Some accounts alleged that Ali died from a police bullet when he tried to hurl a grenade at officers as they stormed the mosque, but others claimed the student died from shrapnel wounds when the grenade exploded in his hands.

The police claimed the 24 arrested militants were plotting chaos from the two mosques where they also live.

It is not unusual for Muslims to live in mosques, but police justified the raids by saying they had received intelligence that the 24 were militants who recently returned from terrorist training in Somalia, a claim we could not confirm independently.

Police reported that they arrested 251 youths following the raid when Muslims were preparing for early morning prayers. Reports indicated that from 3am to 8am, all mobile telephone communications appeared to have been jammed by authorities. Officers involved in the raid were reportedly brought in from stations outside Mombasa.

Guns blazing

Yesterday's events sparked gloom in Mombasa, whose tourist economy and reputation have been battered by an unrelenting tide of assassinations involving Muslim figures, and terrorist attacks. They were also a deadly reminder of the February 2 raid on Musa Mosque in which five people and a policeman were killed.

The raids early yesterday followed a familiar pattern, with heavily armed officers storming mosques with guns blazing as worshippers prepared to pray. In the last raid, Musa Mosque's muezzin or 'caller to prayer' was killed and in yesterday's, his successor was among the 251 worshippers detained.

Facts about the raid on Sakina remained scanty and police prevented all access to the mosque amid claims that some radical youths were still holed up inside. The local MP, Abdulswamad Nassir, accused police of forcefully storming houses during the 4.30am swoop and profiling individuals.

Police issued veiled threats to shut down Sakina and Musa mosques "until this operation is over". This was confirmed by a senior police officer who declared "they can worship elsewhere as we have just begun our operation.

Local leaders led by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and Senator Hassan Omar said they were appalled by the violent turn of events and called for a comprehensive programme to fight extremism and radicalism. They called for justice and warned against profiling of Muslims and desecration of mosques, but said criminals must be fought.

"We have agreed that after questioning and vetting, those arrested and found to have participated in either indoctrination or radicalism will face the law as individuals," Mr Joho said, urging the youth to remain tolerant and shun violence.

Mr Omar said radicalisation could not be tackled as a law and order matter only, and local leaders should be involved in finding a solution.

As police swept into Musa and Sakina mosques in Majengo, they also simultaneously raided some homes in the area and arrested some youths.

By yesterday evening, huge sections of Mvita sub-county and areas near the two mosques were under lockdown. According to Mombasa OCPD Geoffrey Mayek who led the assault, 16 terror suspects were apprehended at Musa and eight at Sakina. Most of those arrested are aged between 15 and 40 years, said police.

"The other day we said we were going to flush them out of the mosque and they thought we were joking. Today morning we stormed Masjid Sakina and Musa. As we entered the mosque one youth armed with a grenade tried to hurl it at the police and was shot," said Mayek.

"Considering the number of fatalities and the risk of the operation, the police were very restrained," Mr Mayek said.

Mombasa Deputy County Commissioner Salim Mohamoud said the raid followed intelligence reports indicating that the mosques "had been turned into armouries".

He said since the youths took over leadership of the mosque, they had misused the place of worship. Police displayed documents they claimed were terrorist training manuals on the use of AK-47 assault rifles, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Arabic swords they said were recovered from the mosques.

Rocket launchers

By police accounts, five grenades, training manuals, military binoculars, a laptop and black explosive powder, nails, phones, four knives and swords, a tool box, red paramilitary rocket iron bars believed to be improvised rocket launchers, modems and passports were recovered from Musa Mosque.

A pistol and a toy pistol, nine 5mm ammunition, three grenades, police uniform tags, cameras, power bank chargers, two laptops and a desktop CPU, a hammer, passport and identity cards were found inside Sakina Mosque.

"We received information that that there were a number of grenaded and firearms hidden in Musa and Sakina mosques," said Mayek at the Mombasa Urban Police headquarters

Several DVDs with teachings of the late Sheikh Aboud Rogo and other preachers were also found. Many of the detainees were set free while others were detained at the Port Police Station and other stations across Mombasa County.

Hussein Khalid, the Executive Director of Haki Africa, told The Standard that the Government had made good its earlier threats to raid places of worship.

"Prayers were never conducted at the mosque since the mosque had already been surrounded and those attempting to reach it were either arrested or prevented from reaching it,'' Khalid said.

He condemned the actions of the police and insisted it was only through dialogue that the Government and the community could solve the problem.
Police also confiscated identification documents, including two passports, but could not confirm whether the owners were arrested in the raid.

Driving licence

A passport belonging to Juma Swaleh Pesa, 28, from Kwale and his driving licence were recovered following the swoop on Masjid Musa. A second passport belonging to Bakari Kassim Omar, 30, from Malindi was recovered at Sakina Mosque alongside identification cards belonging to Bakari Kassim Omar, 35, Mohammed Juma Mrabu (42), the waiting card of Juma Ali Kassim (19) and job identification card of Amina Ali.

Yesterday, the Mombasa County leadership met for over two hours at the Coast Police Provincial Headquarters with Mombasa County Commander Robert Kitur. Senator Omar said the Government had acted without involving the local leadership in the operation.

"There is need for co-operation between the State agencies and the local leadership, but it appears as if the State is victimising certain communities. The Pokot leaders have complained about it, Turkana leaders have complained about it (following the Kapedo killings and arrests) and now we, the leadership at the Coast, are talking about it," said Hassan, adding there was a growing trend of blanket victimisation.

"They must release those who have been collectively victimised. People commit crimes, not buildings and places of worship," said Hassan.