Kenya: Police trace Moshi shootings

(SomaliNet) A team of top Kenyan police detectives has been dispatched to Moshi to team up with Tanzanian counterparts following the gunning down on Wednesday night of 14 Kenyans suspected to have been planning to raid a bank.

The 14, including a woman, were shot dead by police near Moshi, in an incident that is widely believed to have foiled the robbery attempt.

Reports say the suspects were planning to raid the Moshi branch of Exim Bank.

Police in Kilimanjaro say they recovered from the suspects killed an AK47 rifle, five pistols and a sizeable number of rounds of ammunition, adding that the suspected robbers were killed during a fierce exchange of fire with the police.

Kenyan passports and national identity cards were found on the suspects? bodies, according to the police.

The temporary passports were issued in Nairobi last Monday, while the suspects are said to have crossed into Tanzania the next day through the Namanga border post.

Meanwhile, police in Nairobi have said they had been informed from Moshi that the 14 were also planning to rescue six Kenyans facing robbery charges in Tanzania.

The six were cleared of the charges on Tuesday but the court ruled that they stay in custody to face other related charges.

Those who police said were to be rescued were named as Wilfred Onyanga, Jimmy Maina Njoroge, Patrick Muthee Murithi, Simon Githinji Kariuki, David Ngugi Mburu and Michael Mbanya Wathigo. All were arrested in Mozambique in December 2005, reportedly as they planned to commit a robbery in Maputo.

The six were later charged with robbing a foreign currency exchange bureau of 44m/- and taking part in the robbery of 5.3bn/- from the National Bank of Commerce in Moshi.

The Wednesday incident comes hardly a month after the arrest of two Kenyans in connection with a $180,000 bank robbery in Mwanga, Kilimanjaro Region.

One of the suspects is Samuel Gitau Saitoti alias Simo, who is in Kenyan police`s `Most Wanted? list, while another has been identified as Peter Michael Kimani alias Kim.

Following a tip-off, police arrested the two in a house in Arusha?s posh Njiro Estate and recovered seven guns, including two AK47 rifles with three magazines and 85 rounds of ammunition.

Police also impounded a light machine gun, five pistols with 35 rounds of ammunition, two hand grenades, two bullet proof jackets, bhang and $845.

The two Kenyan suspects and 11 Tanzanians have been charged with murder and armed robbery at the National Microfinance Bank (NMB) Mwanga Branch. The incident occurred on July 11 this year ended in the murder of a policeman.

Kenya police detectives travelled to Tanzania to seek the duo`s extradition but abandoned the mission after they were convinced that there was enough evidence to convict them.

Six of the suspects killed in Wednesday night?s incident were identified as Hannah Nyakanyi Kingara from Kiambu, Simon Maina Ndabaki from Kerugoya, Moses Kuria Kamau from Nairobi, David M. N. Mbugua from Mwea, Peter Maina Waweru from Karatina, and William Muiruri Kamau from Nairobi.

Among the others were Philip Irungu Wanjiru, Ludovick Gicheru Kariuki of Thika, John Gikonyo Buku from Murang?a, Zachary Mwangi Kimathiro from Murang?a and Jeremiah W.-Guardian