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| Africa Horn |
| Police: slain Shaboob killed counter-terrorism agent |
| 2014-02-14 |
| Police in Malindi have said a ballistic analysis has confirmed that slain Al Shabaab suspect Ali Mohamed Delawa, killed counter-terrorism agent Ahmed Abdalla Bakhshwein on January 28 this year using a stolen US rifle. Delawa was killed on February 1, and police say an analysis of the US Colt .45mm rifle and 5 rounds of ammunition found on him when he was murdered in Ngala estate Malindi, link him to several gun and grenade attacks in Kwale. Bakhshwein was a former police reservist, who also assisted US and Kenya counter-terrorism efforts in Somalia and on the Kenyan coast. Delawa was also on the police’s most wanted list with alleged links to Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda. Police claim that he belonged to a terrorist cell that was exterminating counter-terrorism agents. On Thursday, Malindi District Criminal Investigation Officer Mr John Ndungu said Delawa “was in a list of most wanted criminals” and alleged that he was involved in Bakhshwein’s killing and a series of criminal attacks in Kwale and Diani towns on the Kenyan south coast. Mr Ndungu said a report from government ballistic expert revealed that the gun recovered from Delawa after he was shot dead by a police officer was the one used to kill Bakshwein and had also been used in other south coast robberies. ”The ballistic experts have indeed confirmed that the firearm recovered from the shot thugs was the one that was used in Malindi, Kwale and Diani shootings,” Mr Ndungu noted adding that closed Circuit Television had also captured Delawa shooting Bakshwein in his car. Two of Delawa’s accomplice escaped on a motorbike after Bakhshwein’s killing near Malindi police station. They had gunshot wounds, according to police but are yet to be apprehended. According to police sources Delawa was a member of a terror group and he had recently entered the country from Somalia where he had undergone a military training. The colt rifle is believed to have been stolen from US Special Forces in Somalia in the 1990s. |
| Posted by:Steve White |