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Kenyan 'al-Shabab recruiter' killed near Mombasa | Kenyan 'al-Shabab recruiter' killed near Mombasa |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A radical Muslim cleric in Kenya, Abubakar Shariff Ahmed, has been shot dead outside the coastal city of Mombasa, police and witnesses say. | A radical Muslim cleric in Kenya, Abubakar Shariff Ahmed, has been shot dead outside the coastal city of Mombasa, police and witnesses say. |
His corpse lay on a road with what appeared to be wounds to the head and body, Reuters news agency reports. It is not yet known who killed the cleric. | |
Mr Shariff, known as Makaburi, had been listed by the UN as a recruiter for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group. | Mr Shariff, known as Makaburi, had been listed by the UN as a recruiter for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group. |
He is the third Muslim cleric to be killed in Mombasa since 2012. | He is the third Muslim cleric to be killed in Mombasa since 2012. |
Riots broke out in parts of the city as news of the cleric's killing spread, reports the BBC's Muliro Telewa from the capital, Nairobi. | |
Police fired into the air to push back furious supporters of Mr Shariff, as his family arrived to identify the body, eyewitnesses said. | |
'Not afraid' | |
The UN Security Council had sanctioned the cleric as "a leading facilitator and recruiter of young Kenyan Muslims for violent militant activity in Somalia". | |
He always denied recruiting for al-Shabab, or calling on his followers to travel to Somalia to fight. | He always denied recruiting for al-Shabab, or calling on his followers to travel to Somalia to fight. |
In a BBC interview in December, Mr Shariff said he was aware he could be killed by the Kenyan security services but added that he was not living in fear. | |
"I do not fear for my safety," he said. "I know they are going to kill me. But I am a Muslim. I believe that my life and death [are] in the hands of Allah." | |
Last October, Muslim cleric Ibrahim "Rogo" Omar was gunned down in Mombasa. | |
His killing was similar to that of cleric, Aboud Rogo Mohammed, who was killed in August 2012. | His killing was similar to that of cleric, Aboud Rogo Mohammed, who was killed in August 2012. |
Mr Mohammed had also been accused of recruiting and fundraising for al-Shabab. | Mr Mohammed had also been accused of recruiting and fundraising for al-Shabab. |
Their killings sparked riots in Mombasa. | Their killings sparked riots in Mombasa. |
Supporters of the clerics accused members of the security forces of killing them - allegations denied by government officials. | Supporters of the clerics accused members of the security forces of killing them - allegations denied by government officials. |
There have been no arrests over the killings. | There have been no arrests over the killings. |
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