Kenya official assassinated in northeast, police says

Garissa

Members of the Somali-led Shebab militia killed a Kenyan government administrator in the country's restive northeast, police said Sunday.

Mohamed Barre Abdullahi, a local chief in Wajir, close to the Somali border, was shot dead after his evening prayers at a local mosque on Saturday.

"The assailants trailed him to the mosque before taking cover to wait for him as he was praying. They then followed him until he was some short distance away from the place of worship, before pulling the trigger," said Wajir County police commander Samuel Mukindia.

He said the attackers were caught by a police patrol but managed to escape under cover of darkness.