Fact Check: When was viral gruesome Lamu video by al Shabaab shot?
Kenyans on Thursday woke up to a gruesome video of people believed to be al Shabaab insurgents attacking a construction site in Lamu county.
In the clip, a man can be seen shooting people indiscriminately while filming his heinous act.
Nairobi News has fact-checked the video clip and established that, indeed, it is true that the attack happened at a construction site in Lamu, but it is not a recent video.
The video was shot on March 22, 2022, when al Shabaab militants attacked the Kwa Omollo bridge in Lamu.
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Five people were killed, including a Chinese national, and three others were wounded when “bandits” ambushed the construction site. A motorcycle rider who was caught in the crossfire was also killed.
According to CTNIS, “The video intends to quantify violence against non-Muslims, derail the construction of the LAPSSET Project, & psychologically scare Kenyans ahead of attacks.”
Al-Shabāab Video on Kwa Omollo Bridge Construction site in Lamu on 11th of March 2022 is a "Grey Psyops"
Intent of the video is quantify quantity of violence against non-Muslims, derail the construction of the LAPSSET Project, & psychologically scare Kenyans ahead of attacks. pic.twitter.com/3J4qhBhgX5
— CTNSIS (@CTNSIS) September 14, 2023
Workers constructing a bridge on the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) were attacked.
“Four people were shot fatally,” a police report read in part.
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The report said that a motorcycle rider who was caught in the crossfire was also killed, adding that the anti-terror police unit was investigating the incident.
The al Shabaab Islamist militant group claimed the attack.
The Lamu region, which includes the popular tourist beach destination of Lamu Island, has suffered frequent attacks, often carried out with roadside bombs.
Al Shabaab fighters have staged several raids inside Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011 as part of an African Union force to oust the jihadists.
On Sunday, at least eight military personnel were injured after their lorry ran over a set of Improvised Explosive Devices in Baure, Lamu County.
The Kenya Defence Forces lorry was using the Baure-Drum main supply route when it ran over a set IED, officials aware of the incident said.
The explosion that destroyed the Kenya Army technical vehicle injured the onboard personnel.
Police believe the bomb was set up by al-Shabaab militants operating within the expansive Boni Forest. No arrest was made then. The injured were evacuated to hospital.
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