KENYA: Unidentified men kill three Kenyan policemen in separate grenade and gun attacks in capital Nairobi

Record ID: 355410

  • Title: KENYA: Unidentified men kill three Kenyan policemen in separate grenade and gun attacks in capital Nairobi
  • Date: 4th December 2010
  • Summary: BODY IN POLICE TRUCK
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya, Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA27QSOC4WHDB50EFMK9YANZE78
  • Story Text: Two Kenyan traffic policemen were shot dead after they stopped a motorcycle in a Nairobi suburb on Friday (December 03) afternoon.
    The two armed men opened fire on the policemen after their motorbike keys were impounded.
    The attackers were chased and by Kenyan security officers, one was shot dead in an exchange of fire while the second one blew himself up as he attempted to hurl a grenade at the police.
    Earlier the same day, unidentified men hurled an explosive device into a police van in a Somali suburb of Nairobi killing one officer in what a police commander said appeared to be a terrorist attack.
    It was not clear whether the two attacks were related.
    The morning strike took place in Eastleigh, a mainly Somali part of Nairobi during the morning rush hour. Witnesses said three men lay in wait for the white police Land Rover and tossed the device inside before running into an alley.
    Analysts said the attack could also have been carried out to settle a grudge against the Kenyan authorities who routinely raid the suburb to weed out illegal Somali immigrants.
    Kenyan police say Eastleigh -- dubbed "Little Mogadishu" by residents -- is awash with small arms. Residents say it is a hub for money laundering and people trafficking, while Somali rebels visit for treatment of wounds and to recruit fighters.
    Foreign investors in Kenya, east Africa's largest economy which shares a porous border with Somalia, cite the Islamist insurgency next door as a serious concern.
    There is speculation that al Shabaab was recruiting in Eastleigh, but the attack could be a local grudge unless a pattern emerged.
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