Monrovia — Senator Roland Kahn and Charles Bennie, a former rebel official, both allegedly linked to the deaths of 13 persons in a farm clash southeast of Monrovia, turned themselves in to police for questioning yesterday.

Kahn claims he is innocent. In a brief statement to the press, he called the incident disturbing because lives were lost. "It is because of this that I am turning myself over to the police to help facilitate the investigation,” he said.

The killings yesterday provoked angry protests from citizens. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reassured protesters that “nobody is above the law and that the Justice Ministry will prosecute whoever is involved whether that person is the president of Liberia.”

Justice Minister Counselor Philip Banks said that government is going to ask for the “death penalty” for those who kill others. “If they know that they are going to die if they kill, this might serve to deter people from engaging in such acts,” he said.

There are news reports that the death toll has climbed to 16 persons.

Meanwhile, the government has deployed a team of prosecutors to the scene of the incident and asked police to employ maximum force in searching for and apprehending the culprits, a statement from the justice ministry said.