Police release photos of botched Lamu attack suspects

The National Police Service has released pictures of 40 suspects believed to have been in the group of over 160 members of Al Shabaab whose plans to attack a Kenya Defence Forces camp in Lamu were thwarted.

The pictures were apparently retrieved from the Al Shabaab camera that was filming their foiled ambush.

It is said that 160 militiamen belonging to an Al Shabaab cell known as Jesh Ayman were planning to ambush Baure Military Camp in Lamu when the Kenyan soldiers repelled them killing 16 of them in the process.

Among those who died was a foreigner known as Thomas Evans Anthony, a foreigner identified as a British national who was apparently filming the escapade.

Sources say the video captured their preparation and movement from Somalia to Boni forest similar to the one that was released by the Ugus (Al Shabaab) in February 2015.

Long after the militants dispersed into the Boni forest, KDF soldiers were able to identify the faces behind the masks after confiscating the highly guarded camera.  Authorities are, however, yet to put names behind the faces for complete identification.

German national among attackers

But as it is, police say this is good enough. It is believed that most of the militants who survived are on the run but wounded and are, therefore, likely to seek medical attention.

Members of the public are now requested to be on the lookout for these faces and share any information they would have on the individuals with the police.

Four of the gunmen who were positively identified include Andreas aka Ahmed Khaled Muller, a German citizen based in Somalia. It is suspected that he could have been involved in the Mpeketoni attack of June 2014 and is currently on the run.

32-year old Ramadhan Kioko aka Abu Nuseiba, described as a frontline fighter was also among them. He is believed to be from Majengo in Nairobi but has been living with his wife Hawa in Somalia. He is also said to be on the run and probably injured.

Lukman Osman Issa aka Shirwa, a Kenyan native from Mombasa was identified among the militants who died during the attack. He is believed to have been a commander of one of the groups that attacked Kenyans in Mpeketoni in June 2014.

Said Abdallah Hemed aka Abu Maryam aka Said Marhaba who operated Marhaba Safari Tours and Travel Company was also identified as one of the dead gunmen.