Reports Leo Odera Omolo
Two Kenyan policemen are feared dead and scores of other people injured in Kisauni suburb of the coastal port City of Mombasa after hand grenade is hurled at a contingent of policemen battling rioting youth protesting the yesterday morning shooting to death of the controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Aboud Rogo by unknown gun-men
The hand grenade was hurled onto a police lorry carrying a contingent of policemen on patrol of the violence infested Kisauni suburb of Mombaa injuring 16 others
It has since been established that before his death in hails of bullets, the controversial Islamic preacher who is suspect of having close link with the Somalia based terrorist group of al-shabaab, which is bankrolled by the Alqaeda an international terrorist group had lived on fear of his life and safety.
On July 25, this year, the US administration of President barrack Obama in Washington had sactio six people, including Sheikh Rogo, Eritrean external security intelligence chief Twokle Habte Negash and senior military officer Taeme Abraham Coftom for their alleged roles in supporting Somalia’s militia group Al-Shabaab.
Sheikh Rogo was accused of raising funds for Al-Shabaab and helping recruits travel to Somalia to join the main groups fighting the Transitional Somali government inside Somalia.
The other two Kenyans were Omar Awadh who is currently awaiting trial in Uganda for his alleged role in a July 2010 attack on restaurants showing World Cup football matches in Kampala that killed 74 people.
Ahmed was arrested in Kenya in 2010 on suspicion of involvement I the bombing at a Nairobi bus terminal.
The US has since he frozen all assets of the six suspects in world-wide terrorism activities after they were accused of providing financial and logistical support to Al-Shabaab, which is blamed of numerous attacks against civilians in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.
Eritrea has been accused of fomenting violence in Somalia, in part to keep its archival neighbor Ethiopia In constant check..
The slain Islamic cleric Sheikh Rogo had been a Muslim preacher in the Kena coastal port city of Mombsa ever since 1997 and was said to have introduced one Mohamed Kubwa Mohamed to Fazul Abdullah Mohamed and two others.
They wee late indicted by a US-based court as the masterminds of the August 1998 attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi and Dar –Es-Salaam simultaneously.
The late Sheikjh Rogo was once arrested in 2002 for allegedly playing a role in the Paradise Hotel bombing in Kikambala near Mombasa simply because the hotel is owned by Israeli investors. The attack on the hotel killed 13 people and left scored seriously injured and maimed.
Fazul Abdullah was killed when an American pilotless drone plane hit his hideout in Somalia last year.
During the hearing of the case almost two weeks ago, the court heard that assorted weapons of destruction allegedly found at his house were to be used to attack a Catholic church, Likoni Ferry and the Nyali Bridge in Mombasa. A police officer who has testified in the case told the court that police did not “plant” the weapons at the preacher’s house.
Mr Kamati said the raid by the police on Sheikh Rogo’s homestead on January 29, 2012 was conducted after a tip off given to Kilifi CID offices. The Islamic preacher who was out of a Kshs 5 million bond wit three sureties on similar amount also faced four other charges of being in possession, of an AK47 rifles, 113 rounds ammunition, two hand grenades ands of ammunition and that of being I possession of firearms without certificates and that of being n possession of explosives.
The hearing of the case was adjourned to October 15 this year. However the controversial Muslim cleric died in hails of bullets yesterday morning in the attack which also left his wife injured in her right knee.
The mainly youth supporters of the slain preacher rent their angers on Christian churches an public institutions run by the churches which they vandalized an destroyed property worth millions of dollars.
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