Tanzania police gun down mosque attack suspects

By Peter Saramba Ongiri

MWANZA, Tanzania (AA) – Police in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's business capital, gunned down two people on Monday suspected of being ringleaders of a gang which murdered 11 people, including an imam, in May.

Dar es Salaam Police Special Zone commander, Simon Siro, told Anadolu Agency that apart from the pair’s involvement in an attack at Rahman Mosque in Mwanza, Western Tanzania the two suspects also led a raid on a village, hacking to death eight people, in the Tanga region of northern Tanzania.

Three worshippers, including an imam, were killed in the Mwanza incident.

Siro said officers opened fire after calling on the pair to surrender, leaving them “no option”.

A police officer was injured in the exchange of fire; a hand grenade was recovered from the scene.

The Mwanza killings took place on May 18 this year; the Tanga murders were just 12 days later.

Commenting on whether these incidents were related to terrorism, Siro only said the investigation is ongoing.

As in other East African partner states Kenya and Uganda, Tanzania has experienced terror attacks. These include the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy.