Family dismayed over Hamza’s terrorist label

Dar es Salaam. The family of Hamza Mohamed - who killed four people, including three policemen, before being shot dead last week - expressed its dismay yesterday upon learning from law enforcers that their relative was a terrorist.

Terrorism is the unlawful use of intentional violence to achieve political aims, especially against civilians.

Speaking about the police investigation, Hamza’s family spokesman, Abdulrahman Hassan said they have always seen the deceased as a normal person who did not have any character of a terrorist.

Mr Hassan was reacting to an utterance by the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Camillius Wambura who said in Mwanza yesterday that preliminary investigations have revealed that Hamza was a terrorist on a suicide mission.

Mr Mohammed was shot dead on August 25, after he had killed three police officers and one security guard near the French Embassy in Dar es Salaam.

“We are waiting for the Police Force to reveal the outcomes of their investigations to us because from how we lived with him for years, at no point did we see him with any terrorist movements,” said Mr Hassan.

He declined to speak about a police assertion that the deceased lived a private life and that he learned a lot of issues through the Internet, including getting to know the activities of terrorist groups like Al-Shabab and Islamic State (IS).

“My brother, Hamza is well known, people have talked about him as they know him, we have nothing to add,” he said.

According to Abdulrahman Hassan, five people were still being held by the Police Force for questioning. “Police say they are interrogating them, so they are still there,” he said.

Speaking in Mwanza earlier yesterday, DCI Wambura said that their investigation focused on knowing the identity of Hamza Mohammed, what inspired for him to kill and who his accomplices were.

DCI Wambura said in the investigations, the police discovered that Hamza lived a very private life with all terrorism indicators.

“For a long time, he had been learning through the Internet regarding terrorism activities for Al-Shabab and ISIS,” said Mr Wambura.

He said Hamza also had direct communications with people living in countries that are prone to acts of terrorism. The communications saw him being radicalised.

DCI Wambura trashed reports that Hamza shot the police officers because the law enforcers wanted to rob him of his minerals.

According to Mr Wambura, by the time they picked his body, he was not found in possession of money or minerals.

“Hamza had no money. Though people say he had mines in Makongolosi, Chunya, we have discovered that the mining operations ceased a long time ago,” said DCI Wambura.

He said in their investigations Hamza is classified as a terrorist with religious extremism.

Security analysts raised concern over the fact that an ordinary Tanzanian could be radicalised to the extent of being ready to go on suicide missions.

A cyber security and counterterrorism expert, Mr Ben Frank said terrorism indicators can vary from political, religious or any other cause that is entrenched by the terror organisation.

“Terrorists are not born to be terrorists, but made and as a result of the very same social or political structures, we are living in a prolonged feeling of subjugation or marginalisation which can push a particular group to resort to acts of violence and terror to get their message heard,” he said.

“There could never be tenets to describe a would-be terrorist and therefore it is a craft that is acquired and perfected over time based on circumstances, beliefs and other affiliated factors including technology access,” he said.

Security analyst Martin Eliya echoed Mr Frank sentiments.

“Any act of terrorism must have violence indicators meant to send a message of political, religious or socially….it is imperative for the government to invest in the use of technology to track possible or would-be terrorists through key search words on the internet,” he said