Kenya detective gunned down in troubled port city

A senior Kenyan detective has been gunned down in the port city of Mombasa, the scene of mounting concerns over radical Islamist recruitment, police said Thursday.

The undercover officer, named as Ibrahim Mohammed, was shot dead late Wednesday in Mombasa’s Old Town area in what appeared to be a well-organised attack.

“It appeared they were specifically targeting him because they did not shot at two people seated very close to him,” said Mombasa criminal investigations chief, Henry Ondiek.

“We cannot start speculating on the incident… investigations have been launched and we will be able to unmask the attackers,” he added.

Kenyan media reports, however, said the killing was believed to be linked to police operations against suspected Islamist radicals in the city.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but previous attacks have been blamed on Islamist groups accused of links to Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels, or to a separatist movement called the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC)