Kenya: Locals May Be Behind Garissa Attack - ATPU
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By Kamore Maina, 4 July 2012
The country is still mourning the deaths of at least 17 people including 3
children, victims of yet another terror attack on Kenyan soil. Another 66
... ( Resource:
<
http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00040372.html> Kenya:
Several Killed in Church Attacks
ANTI-terrorism investigators have ruled out the involvement of al-Shabaab in
the Sunday attacks on two churches in Garissa.
They are now focusing on fresh leads that the attacks were motivated by
either local tensions between the Muslims and Christians, or a politically
motivated crime. An internal Anti Terrorism Police Unit report submitted
yesterday said that investigators reached that conclusion after analysing
four incidents in Garissa in the last six months.
In December a grenade was hurled at a hotel called Kwa Chege in Garissa
town. Then in February a woman and two infants were killed in Garissa in an
attack on the Bible Baptist Church close to the AIC church which was
attacked on Sunday. In February a grenade killed three people outside Juba
Hotel.
The analysis focused on the two latest attacks on AIC and the Catholic
church. Police sources close to the investigation told the Star that that
three of the four recent incidents touched on churches. The attacks have
caused panic among non-indigenous residents of Garissa who fear that they
are being targeted. James Mwangi, a tuk tuk driver in Garissa, said they had
lately witnessed a lot of hostility from residents based on their religion
and for being non-Somalis.
All the incident involved Russian F1 grenades suspected to have originated
from Somalia republic. Yesterday, Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrived in
Garissa town shortly after 10am and held a three hour closed door meeting
with top security officials including Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere. The
meeting was held at the North Eastern Provincial Commissioner's office.
The meeting discussed the possibility that the Sunday attack was a religious
war targeting Christians. Islam is the dominant religion in Garissa town and
North Eastern Province. AIC head Silas Yego again raised the issue during a
rally attended by top Government officials who yesterday afternoon addressed
residents at Garissa Primary school.
Yego told residents that Christians and Muslims should live together
peacefully. A Muslim cleric who addressed the gathering condemned the
incidents as un-Islamic. He said in the Muslim faith it was bad for anyone
to kill and it was shameful that the attackers had killed worshippers in
church. "Ni dhambi kumuaa mtu yeyote. Na mtu yeyote anaye muua mtu kwenya
mahali patakatifu ni hatia " said the cleric.
Father Clement Khiyaniri, a parish priest in Garissa, was presiding over a
mass at the Lady of Consolata Church when the worshipers were attacked. He
said it had become a habit for some Muslims to pelt his church with stones.
He said that on Sunday stones were first thrown at his congregation by a
group of men who were standing outside the church compound. "When I first
heard a loud bang, I thought it was the normal stone throwing until I heard
a second bang which was louder than the first one. I sent four worshipers to
check what was happening and also told worshipers not to panic," he said.
It was then that the congregation realized that two grenades had been hurled
at them. ATPU detectives spent most of yesterday trying to piece together
evidence. More police officers including General Service Unit have been
deployed to patrol the streets of Garissa. Police have also started
enforcing orders by the North Eastern Provincial Security Intelligence
committee to have every one entering and leaving Garissa thoroughly
scrutinized.
Senior detectives from Nairobi were even forced to give an inventory of
their firearm on arrival in Garissa after the attack. Police have also
restricted movement of people especially at night. Seven survivors of the
Garissa attacks are still fighting for their lives, with two in critical
condition, after being airlifted to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi on
Sunday night.
Hospital CEO Richard Lesiyampe said that patients included three males and
four females. "All the patients are being managed professionally and the
doctors are doing everything possible to restore their health," Lesiyampe
said. Lesiyampe appealed for more blood donations from the public, saying
that all the victims will undergo transfusion. A camp has been set up
outside the hospital.
The victims suffered head and body injuries and multiple fractures. One was
admitted in ICU with metal fragments in his head. "Two of the victims
sustained multiple body injuries in the chest, torso and fracture of the
femur," Lesiyampe said. Two other victims sustained multiple fractures in
the femur and lower limbs, and were said to be in theater, while one whose
condition was said to be stable suffered abdominal injuries.
Narrating her ordeal from her hospital bed, after an operation, Fridah
Cheptoo said she was attending a mass at AIC church when the blast occurred.
"We were singing, and then suddenly I heard gun shots, and then loud screams
from the congregation," Cheptoo said, adding that she then fell down.
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Received on Wed Jul 04 2012 - 07:32:19 EDT
