Sheikh Abukabar Shariff’s body buried at midnight

By Standard Team

Mombasa, Kenya: Controversial Islamic preacher Sheikh Abukabar Shariff’s body was buried early Wednesday morning at the Manyimbo War Memorial Cemetery in Mombasa.

The body, which had been detained at the Bamburi police station after his killing, was later released to his supporters who took it to Masjid Musa for prayers a few minutes after midnight before burying it unwashed. His supporters told The Standard that they considered Makaburi a martyr and that “martyrs are buried with their bloodstained clothes”.

Meanwhile, Muslim leaders who Makaburi despised and criticised openly in life rallied to his defence Wednesday, describing his violent death as an act of terrorism.

Police denied killing Makaburi who recently told journalists: “I am prepared for death because death is something to be prepared for.”

Wednesday afternoon, Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said: “This [killing] was an act of crime and the Government has started investigating”.

On Tuesday night, Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia said police were yet to establish who killed Makaburi and his friend Hafidh Bahero. Both were killed in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday evening.

As his supporters mourned him, some celebrated his death saying he had met with a just fate for his vocal support of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

Jihadist convention

Before he met his death, Makaburi had just bailed out nine suspects charged with terrorism who were arrested on February 2 when security agents stormed Masjid Musa to disperse an outlawed jihadist convention.

An analysis of intelligence reports and interview security agents indicated that besides acting a spiritual guide for the current generation of Al-Shabaab-linked radicals based at Musa and Sakina mosques in Mombasa, Makaburi was also considered a commander of sorts for several terrorist cells based in Mtopanga, Likoni and other parts of Coast.

Intelligence sources told The Standard that new information had shown that Makaburi had recently tried to link Mombasa and Nairobi based Al-Qaeda affiliates to the Yemeni-based Al-Qaeda through the efforts of Kenyan terrorist fugitives Fuad Abubakar Manswab and Ahmed Iman Ali, who detectives blame for the March 23 church attack and car bomb that was discovered at the Mombasa police headquarters.

The UN report dated July 12 accused Makaburi of providing “operational direction and guidance” to terrorist groups and also associated him with  Tanzania’s Ansar Muslim Youth Centre and Kenya’s Al Hijra, both said to be affiliated to Al-Shabaab.