The photograph of Hussein Nur Mohamed provided by police on December 15,
2013. An arrest warrant has been issued after police tied him to the
Pangani matatu blast. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Forensic experts spent the better part
of Sunday morning examining the site of Saturday’s matatu blast at
Pangani, Nairobi, as the death toll rose to six. (READ: Four killed in matatu blast)
Two of the 36 people admitted to various hospitals succumbed to their injuries Sunday.
Bomb
experts, among them two foreigners, collected debris and soil residues
from the scene, which was still littered with torn clothing, pieces of
shattered glass and metal.
They also marked a 50-metre radius at Pangani Girls High School playground where they combed through overgrown grass.
“We
are trying to gather clues at this crime scene to determine exactly
what caused the explosion,” one of the officers, who cannot be
identified as he is not authorised to speak to journalists, said.
And
as investigations into the suspected terror attack intensified, police
said Sunday the prime suspect alighted from the vehicle about 50 metres
from where the blast occurred.
SUSPECT
Detectives revealed that the man detonated the improvised device he had left in the matatu by remote control.
The
blast occurred on Juja Road, outside Pangani Girls High School, a few
seconds after the man alighted at the Chai Road junction.
“The
driver has indicated there is a man who alighted on Chai Road just
before the explosion and it’s him we are after,” said Mr Nicholas
Kamwende, the head of criminal investigations in Nairobi.
One
of the survivors of the deadly blast claimed he saw a young man of
Somali origin alight from the ill-fated matatu roughly five minutes
before the explosion.
Talking from his hospital bed, he
told reporters he boarded the matatu at Pangani stage and occupied the
seat the young man had left as he alighted from the vehicle “but did
not notice anything unusual.”
At the same time, police
are holding another man they picked from a crowd that had gathered at
the scene and is being held at Pangani Police Station.
Inspector
General David Kimaiyo yesterday released a picture of a man he
identified as 21-year-old Hussein Nur Mohamed and said he was being
sought in connection with the Saturday attack.
He added that a suspect arrested Sunday gave detectives information that led them to believe Mr Mohamed was involved.
The police chief further revealed that Mr Mohamed was arrested months ago and taken to court “over terrorism charges.”
“He
was previously charged and released on bond, however he failed to
appear in court and a warrant of arrest is in force. We are appealing to
members of the public with any information concerning the suspect and
others to report urgently to the nearest police station,” Mr Kimaiyo
said.
Additional reporting by Fred Mukinda
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