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Somali national ‘masterminded’ Kenya school raid


Monday October 15, 2018

Police in Nairobi have singled out Hassan Hodey, a Somali national from neighboring area of Damasa in Somalia as the mastermind behind last week’s attack at a secondary school in Mandera County in northern Kenya which killed two teachers.

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In a statement, Inspector General of police, Joseph Boinnet said that following the attack at the Arabia High School on Wednesday they have intensified operations in the area to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The militants who attacked Arabia Boys Secondary School about 1 kilometer away from the Kenya-Somalia border hurled an Improvised Explosive Device into one of the two blocks housing non-local teachers consequently killing two of them.

“Our operations have established that one Hassan Hodey a Somali national from neighboring area of Damasa was behind that heinous act. Security agencies are pursuing the culprit and will not relent till he is brought to justice,” said Boinnet in a statement on Sunday.

He revealed that security agencies are also on the highest state of alert for any possible attack by al-Shabaab targeting security installations and any other soft targets along the border between Mandera and Elwak.

He further revealed that militants have been converging close to the Kenyan border.

 According to the police chief, the buildup has been evident in areas of Hola, Dura, Jidahaley, Juma and Ilkabere.

“The current movement by the militants towards our border is attributed to ongoing purge on their bases in Somalia by the AMISOM and allied forces,” he added.

“Our officers are on high alert monitoring their movements so as to counter any attempts by these criminals to cross over to our country to cause fear and despondence,” the police boss pointed out.
Mandera has been a playground for the militants who have staged daring attacks that have left innocent Kenyans dead and property destroyed.

In January last year, gunmen believed to be al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a police post and destroyed communication masts in Arabia area.

In October 2016, 12 people killed were killed following an attack in by suspected al-Shabaab gunmen who attacked a lodge with explosives.

On November 2014, the militants killed 28 passengers on the Nairobi-bound bus in Mandera near the Somali-border town.

In a strange twist of coincidence, in December 2015, the militants later attacked the same Nairobi-bound bus and killed two people.

al-Shabaab has been at war with Kenya ever since Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October 2011 in an effort to crush the militants.

 





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