Friday, 4 October 2013

Ibrahim 'Rogo' Amar: Kenyan cleric shot dead in Mombasa

A man who survived the drive-by shooting of Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail stands next to a bullet-riddled car on the Mombasa-Malindi highway late on October 3, 2013

Salim Abdi was the only person to survive the attack

A Muslim cleric has been shot dead in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, amid high tensions between the Muslim community and the security forces.

Ibrahim 'Rogo' Amar and three other people were shot as they drove home on Thursday night after preaching.

The killing is similar to that of Aboud Rogo Mohammed last year, which sparked days of rioting by Muslims.

It comes two weeks after the attack on a Kenyan shopping centre, which killed at least 67 people.

Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said its militants stormed the mall in Kenya's capital Nairobi in retaliation for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia.

There were gunshots and the vehicle veered off the road, I don't know how I walked out of the vehicle alive”

Salim Abdi Survivor of the attack

Mr Rogo was alleged to have links with al-Shabab and some Muslims accused the Kenyan security forces of killing him - an allegation they strongly denied.

Mr Amar is seen as the successor to Mr Rogo, as he preached at the same mosque - and after his death he was given the nickname Rogo.

The police in Mombasa have also denied involvement in Mr Amar's killing.

"The police have nothing to do with the shooting. That's not how we operate," Reuters news agency quoted Robert Kitur, Mombasa County police commander, as saying.

Salim Abdi was the only survivor of the attack on the car.

"There were gunshots and the vehicle veered off the road, I don't know how I walked out of the vehicle alive," the AFP news agency quotes Mr Abdi as saying.

"All four others I was with in the vehicle died on the spot."

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