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| Africa Subsaharan | |
| Zanzibar Acid Attack: Suspect Preacher On Run | |
| 2013-08-14 | |
| [NEWS.SKY] Police are hunting a radical Moslem preacher wanted in connection with an acid attack on two British teenagers in Zanzibar. Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa was cornered by officers near Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, but managed to escape and is now on the run. He was hit in the shoulder with a tear-gas canister during the altercation, according to local police in Morogoro - the scene of the clash. Police commander Faustine Shilogile said: "He has not been tossed in the calaboose Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! . He has been shot at. We have been looking for him in all corners of the country." He added: "We are no closer to finding who was responsible for this. But this is a serious police investigation, and we are doing everything we can."
News of the preacher's escape came as it emerged that one of the two men involved in the unprovoked attack "smiled" before throwing acid. Speaking from Zanzibar, medical student Olivia Moore told Channel 4 News: "The two men were on a moped and they went past a group of tourists. "They stopped for the girls and the two men then looked at each other, nodded and then the man on the back of the bike smiled and threw acid on the girls. "From then on it's just chaotic. There was no incident that preceded the actual attack. "Everyone was shocked. Nobody can think of a motivation or anything that precipitated this." Victims Katie Gee, and Kirstie Trup, both 18 and from London, are still being treated for burns at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after arriving home on Friday. They are said to be "well rested and comfortable". | |
| Posted by:Fred |