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Kenyan police officers have carried out a fresh raid on a mosque in the port city of Mombasa as the state continues its hunt for weapons and supporters of al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab fighters in neighbouring Somalia, police said.
“We conducted a security operation in the mosque, we will give details later,” said Richard Ngatia, the senior officer in the district of Kisauni where the raid took place yesterday.
This is the third mosque to be raided this week, after Monday’s raids on two mosques in the coastal city left a 20-year-old man dead and more than 200 people arrested.
According to another police source who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to the media, grenades, bombs, oil and ammunition were discovered in the latest raid.
On Monday, security forces targeted the Masjid Musa and Sakina mosques in Mombasa. Police said the man who was shot dead was trying to throw a grenade at security forces. Thirteen of those arrested have been charged with possession of explosive materials and pleaded not guilty.
The two mosques have been closed since Monday’s security operation. Following the raid, four people were stabbed to death in apparent revenge attacks.
The Kenyan government has been battling insecurity and deadly attacks across the country since its troops entered neighbouring Somalia in October 2011 to stem raids on coastal towns. – AP
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