NAIROBI, Kenya, December 4 – The police have now enlisted the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to probe twin incidents in which three police officers were killed in the line of duty in separate attacks.
Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said on Saturday that investigations are currently underway to establish the identity of the assailants, their motives and whether they had accomplices.
He said they sought the FBI’s assistance due to their advanced forensic technology which will be used to analyse the evidence at the scene. He stressed that any attack on a police officer will not be taken lightly. “We shall do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this. We have invited the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations to assist in the investigations,” he said.
“We wish to send a strong warning to the criminals that attacking innocent law enforcement officers on duty is an affront against the rule of law and this will not be tolerated. We do not think its Al Shabab militia group who are responsible. That is why we are enlisting the FBI to assist us,” he said.
While dispelling fears of terrorist involvement in the incident, the police commissioner attributed the attacks on three police officers while on duty to a crackdown on a criminal gang conducted earlier.
He said that the gang had been notorious for harassing Nairobi City residents and that the police had been working hard to suppress them.
He stated that in one of the incidents, a shootout occurred when two suspects resisted arrest and instead opened fire on two traffic policemen.
“I do not think so. What I can say at this point in time is that yesterday (Friday) morning, we had some information that there was a criminal gang which had been terrorising Nairobi residents and later on, police officers carried out a crackdown on them,” he stated.
Mr Iteere said that an assortment of stolen goods and vehicles had been recovered in the gang’s hideout.
“During the shootout in their hideout in Kayole, they managed to shoot dead three of them, recovered two weapons and three stolen motor vehicles. We do believe that maybe the connection might be with the criminal gangs,” he stated.
Speaking during a press briefing, the Police boss expressed the commitment of the police force to get to the bottom of the incident.
“We wish to assure the public that these two incidents will be thoroughly investigated and all criminals involved apprehended,” he emphasised. “We also want to thank members of the public who bare hand confronted the armed criminals in Kasarani and assisted police officers to pursue them.”
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