Kenya’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorist’ Detained In DRC
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NAIROBI (Worthy News) – Rashid Mohamed Salim, one of Kenya’s most wanted suspected terrorists, was cornered and captured by local youths over the weekend in a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several sources confirmed.
Kenya’s government had been offering a near $100,000 bounty for the capture of Salim, who has been accused of slaughtering Christians and other attacks.
He was reportedly handed over to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (AFDRC) Saturday and detained. It was not immediately clear when and if the DRC would extradite Salim to Kenya.
Christian rights group International Christian Concern (ICC) quoted a source in DRC’s northeastern city of Beni as calling the arrested young man was “a great” terrorist. “He is a very big player in the activities of slaughtering Christians in this part of Beni,” the source said.
“We have been receiving pictures and short films of him cutting the throats of Christians and the police. It is said that he is the one who captures them. Or has them captured via his telephone by fellow rebels when he is in the process of acting and publishes them as propaganda.”
Salim, the source added, is a commander of the feared Islamist ‘Allied Democratic Forces,’ linked to the Islamic State terror group.
WATCH LIST
He was reportedly put on the Kenyan Anti-Terror Police watch list in November 2021, with the government offering a reward for him and four others on terrorism charges.
Salim “was feared to be on his way back to Kenya from Cabo Delgado where he had joined Mozambique’s Islamic State group,” ICC said in a statement.
Since his arrest, footage emerged of Salim explaining the motivations behind his group’s insurgency.
Asked about a video that purportedly showed him beheading a FARDC officer, Salim was seen saying: “[My fellow] rebels gave me a machete to behead the government’s soldier that we had captured. They told me to draw attention to all the people of the world that there was Islam in Congo.”
And, those watching “were invited to come and spread the Islamic religion so that Islam can rule the whole world. So, I killed the FARDC soldier in the name of Allah.”
University-educated Salim was radicalized as a teen at a popular Mosque in Mombasa, Kenya, according to rights investigators.
“He has been linked with recruiting youth into terror groups in East Africa and for various terrorist activities,” ICC said.
His arrest reportedly came days after the Kenyan government pledged to provide security for locals and foreigners after security alerts by European and American embassies in Nairobi urging their nationals to avoid public places.
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