Kenya cleric Sheikh Mohammed Idris shot dead in Mombasa

A leading Muslim cleric has been shot dead in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa – the latest such killing.

Sheikh Mohammed Idris, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was killed close to a mosque near his home by a group of gunmen.

Reports say he had previously been threatened by radical Muslim youths and had said he feared for his life.

Several prominent Muslim clerics have been shot dead in unexplained circumstances in recent years.

The others were mostly accused of links to Somali Islamist group al-Shabab and their supporters accused the government of being behind their killings – charges the authorities denied.

Mr Idris had apparently urged the police to deal with militant elements at his mosque, leading some to brand him a traitor.

BBC News

UM– USEKE.RW