August 27, 2012
Kenyan Islamist cleric Aboud Rogo Mohammed, who was on international sanction lists for supporting the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab organisation, was shot dead Monday (August 27th) during a drive-by shooting in Mombasa.
Witnesses said the car was riddled with bullets. A photograph released by his supporters showed his bloody corpse slumped behind the wheel of a car.
"He died as we rushed him to hospital," said his widow Haniya Said, according to AFP, before she and her children were taken to the hospital.
Mohammed's death sparked thousands of angry protesters to gather around the mosque where he had often preached, setting fire to vehicles and chanting slogans in his support, AFP reported.
"An imam in the mosque shouted through the speaker 'blood for blood', and immediately youths started stoning cars", said witness Dennis Odhiambo, whose car was damaged, and was forced to flee into a police station for safety.
Regional police chief Aggrey Adoli said, "One person has been killed, he was slashed to death during the protests."
"There is chaos in town now, and our officers are on the ground dispersing the rioters to maintain peace," Adoli said.
"The whole city is on fire, there are looters in the streets, cars have been damaged, some have been burnt," said Francis Auma, from the local organisation Muslims for Human Rights.
Mohammed was placed on a US sanctions list in July for "engaging in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security or stability of Somalia", specifically for recruiting and fundraising for al-Shabaab.
Mohammed "urged his audiences to travel to Somalia to join al-Shabaab's fight against the Kenyan government", the US Treasury said.
The United Nations Security Council placed a travel ban and an asset freeze on Mohammed in July, saying he had provided "financial, material, logistical or technical support to al-Shabaab".
He was the "main ideological leader" of Kenya's al-Hijra group, also known as the Muslim Youth Centre (MYC)", the UN said. The group is considered a close ally of al-Shabaab in Kenya.
Mohammed "used the extremist group as a pathway for radicalisation and recruitment of principally Swahili-speaking Africans for carrying out violent militant activity in Somalia", according to the UN.
On its Twitter account, the MYC offered the grim warning that the "kuffar [unbelievers] will pay" for Mohammed's death. With a photograph of a car bomb burning in the street, the MYC said, "Just the start of what to come or not?"
"MYC has sent messages to the mujahideen in Tanzania about reports of Sheikh Rogo's death," the group said, indicating it may be expanding its retaliation outside Kenya.
MYC leader Sheikh Ahmad Iman Ali said in a message posted on Twitter, "We are on the right track when our leaders get shahadah [martyrdom]."
"He will remain in our hearts forever," the MYC added.
Kenyan police arrested Mohammed in January, seizing firearms, ammunition and detonators. He appeared before a Mombasa court August 14th on charges of planning attacks in public places.
Mohammed was charged with six counts related to illegal possession of firearms, for which he pleaded not guilty and was later released on a 5-million-shilling ($60,000) bail. The case was adjourned and another hearing scheduled for October 15th.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council Committee imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Abubaker Shariff Ahmed, an MYC leader and "close associate" of Mohammed.
"Ahmed is a leading facilitator and recruiter of young Kenyan Muslims for violent militant activity in Somalia," the committee said in a report released August 23rd.
"He provides material support to extremist groups in Kenya (and elsewhere in East Africa)," it said. "Through his frequent trips to al-Shabaab strongholds in Somalia, including Kismayo, he has been able to maintain strong ties with senior al-Shabaab members."
"Ahmed has preached at mosques in Mombasa that young men should travel to Somalia, commit extremist acts, fight for al-Qaeda and kill US citizens," according to the report.
As of 2010, Ahmed has acted as a recruiter and facilitator for al-Shabaab in the Majengo area of Mombasa, the report said.
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Reader's Comments
What I want is not peace but a Muslim government using the Islamic sheriah to rule people. The war will not end until we get such government, God willing. I would like to tell those waiting for peace to wake up from their sleep because they will not rest and get Islamic Sheriah until America and its sympathizers are eliminated and they will be eliminated, God willing.
You know everyone acts as one wishes. Now let’s be attentive to that and try to be careful in making a decision. And when we want to decide let’s go back to our holy book the Koran. You will get an answer about how to make a decision. That is my opinion.
Two wrongs cannot make right,spilling innocent blood wont solve the problem.lets learn a lesson from post election violence
Its trying times but all we need is peace
It is annoying, poor people are dying for no reason at all. But it is a clear situation that it’s the government that is killing religious leaders in collaboration with some hypocritical Islamic leaders.
ithink the guyz who burned churches n speeled blood for inocent pple will leave to regreat coz God is never tempted .the isue is simple learn to be hardworking you lazy boyz claimng to be so holly to rogo coz no more unga hez dead an nomore deal shame on u barstards.grow up eh..stop beeing mamas boy and think deep ok? am_not happy atall.
You do not seek revenge on innocent civillians and places of worship. It will only help in allienationg your religion! What if the christians avenge the attacks? You show your true colours: you are terrirists yourselves! You will remain a backward lot forever for defiling holy places of worship and killing and maiming innocent civilians!
It is now time for all Kenyans to sit together as a matured nation,what happened about the killing of Shekhe Mohamed is not good at all but it yet showed the world how Muslim are aggressive and violent contrary to their religion.Acts like this makes them look like Boko Haram and Al-shabab.Let peace dwell among Kenyans n let Kenyans move 4wd again as united and secular state.
Good riddance... Aboud Rogo was a dangerous thug who did not want to differentiate between western values and christianity. To him in christianity he saw western values and deep in his heart he hated the church and christians. As an agent of Al khaeda and Al Shabaab he thought the best way for people to live is to follow Islam and Arab calture. This is evidenced by his followers burning churches and attacking christians who never knew they were the enemy.
dont fights guys as this will affect our economy . keep peace we are all one
@mimi,sometimes u need to think b4 writing just for the sake of it.when u say blood 4 blood whose blood do u inted to spill.f at all u r angered coz someone killed rogo then know that someone else will also b angered by the blood that u r eager to spill.may whoever spilt the bloodof Rogo face the wrath of God!!!
Well said Moss even Kiambaa Church perpetrators paid in earnest, vengeance belongs to the Lord. Not all Muslims burnt the churches, just a few criminals n they wont get away with, not under the sun
ONLY GOD HAS THE POWER TO DECIDE ONES DEATH.OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS WHAT HAVE THE CHURCHES DONE TO YOU THAT YOU BURN THEM?GOD WILL PUNISH THE DEFAULTERS
I URGE OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS TO DEMONSTRATE PEACEFULY IF NEED BE AND AVOID VIOLENCE. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY PROMISED ACTION. LETS WAIT!!
when does two wrongs make aright,stop hooligans and stop those barbaric act.let the law prevail
I am a Muslim and have lived in Kenya all my life, many of my friends our Christians and a true though disappointing & shameful fact is all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims. I think it is time we (Muslims) rethought our ideologies about accepting & respecting other people’s religious beliefs. Apologies to my fellow Kenyans who have lost life & property to these shameful & cowardly acts by my brothers who claim to be "holy".....
nonsense ths is just a trailer the picture is coming soon
Oh!my brothers muslims,its too bad to tke ua revenge on christian and innocent people instead of looking for a better way of solving the problem.remember that the innocent people who ur forcing to pay the debt which they have no idea about will never 4g u n even God that ur pretending to worship will never listen to ua prayer becoz its useless.
He was on the international Terrorists List! Who knows whether he was not shot by his own terrorists? Burning Churches, Killing innocent Christians, general hooliganism are all acts of terrorists! Let the Kenya Police stop them kabisa...
the act was pathetic n shame on u all;gvnt shld act quickly n stop these acts
Two wrongs dont make a right dear muslim friends. By burning churches more animosity is created between muslims and christians, why dont we leave all to the government to come up with the solutions instead of taking law into our hands. Kindly, reflain from burning Gods altars
@Moss, you have already said it! our God will fight the battle and he is full of forgiviness to those who will repent,
Revenge has been proven historically not to resolve worldly issues.Truth is that the current terrorist menace have been using the same grenades being used for blood for blood,who is foolish and who needs to be judged on religious basis more than the other.Kenyans Christians,Muslims,traditionalists and atheists alike should be above extremism for the common good.
Dear Lord, Show yourself STRONG on our behalf. The Battle is not ours, Fight for us God of Israel. Amen
Faith is one thing that can cause someone to do something that under normal circumstances he can not do.Your enemy is not them,your enemy is your own self.We have to learn to agree to disagree,we are the one making our own life difficulty.You can choose your actions but you can not choose the consequences of your actions.Think critically before you act.
its shame to see Africans kills themselves for religions ideologies of Arabs n western countries...God curse people who brought islam n christianity in Africa.....
Sheikh Rogo and his followers should have known that, "he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword." And this "Blood for blood" nonsense is disturbing. Christianity is indeed better than Islam. When Christians were killed in kenyan Churches by Muslims, Christians did not revenge. Muslims should know that they are not the only ones who matter in this World.
Thank you brother/ sister for the above article, May God Glad you more wisdom and understanding. Its a pity for Muslims to burn churches in the name of revenge!! We love them and associate with them, Why do they turn agaisnest the church which has done nothing to them.
i belive people like rogo are the enemy of muslims there is no way you can call rogo a muslims after he has openly advocated for murder of inocent.Islam holds life very dear ,to kill an inocent is like killing the whole of humanity!! these radical clerics shud be jailed for life.What good has this rogo done for any muslim?that today so called muslims want to avange his death ,he got what he desreved ,wasnt he arresetd with a large cache of deadly wepons ?if he had succseded in killing more inocent kenyans would these preachers be happy?lets call a spade a spade rogo was nothiing but a hate monger and there is no place in islam for hate mongers ,MAY ABOOUD ROGO BURN IN HELL FOR ETERNITYAMEEN SUMA AMEEN!!
A mosgue is a place of worship just like a church, why do you loose respect by decalring acts of terror against the people froma holy place, do we need to change the name of this worship place and call it barracks?
" Blood for Blood" will never solve the puzzle at all. Burning churches also will not help, think twice. This young men partcipating in burning churches will just die for nothing why not preach peace? Why does the church be invloved in this matter? Dear Muslims think twice? Have ever heard Christians burning Mosques ?
we dont need to be muslims or christians to condemn thekilling of a kenyan citizen,neither do we need civil strive to engulf our nation,we all belong to one God who has so many names eg Allah,Ngai,God,Mwiyai,Jile,Jah..................sons dont fight,
pathetic.poor people die for nothing
blood for blood or can goverment come out and tell us why they killed him
Dear Kenyan Muslims, why are you burning churches? Have you ever seen a church carry a gun to harm anyone? Our people have been bombed in churches, we never burnt mosques, Was that not blood? Why the rage over a harmless church? The church knew Rogo and would pray for him. The church is not happy that he was killed. Why do you go to altars of the church to burn them? Why not find the gunman and kill him. We forgive you. The people who were responsible for burning the church, REPENT. You have gone too far. We will not fight back. Our GOD fights for himself. HE is powerful. He does not need a man to fight for him. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH.