Police hunt down more suspects in Coast terror plot

Two terror suspects arrested on Monday in a dramatic ambush at Mombasa’s Likoni Channel were yesterday presented to an anti-terrorism magistrate’s court in Nairobi, where the police were granted 21 days to complete investigations before charging them.

Nation has learnt that the two suspects, a 30-year old Kenyan and a Tanzanian citizen, 35,  are Al Shabaab returnees, with contacts in Mvita, Mombasa and Kwale. The duo was presented before the anti-terrorism court in camera.

The Nation has obtained their names, but cannot disclose them at this stage to avoid jeopardizing ongoing efforts to net their accomplices.

Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers are currently holding them in Nairobi.

Security agencies in the coast region remain on high alert following the routing of Islamist militants in Cabo Delgado in Mozambique by Rwandan forces last week. In March, intelligence reports showed that Cabo Delgado had become the new frontier for the disillusioned young men, some from Kenya’s coast region.

It is understood that ATPU officers are seeking to do investigations within various locations in Mvita, Mombasa and Kwale; where it is suspected their accomplices are in hiding.

Fresh details have also emerged that two more suspects could have escaped the Monday morning police dragnet, after one remained in Kwale and later vanished, while another, a lady, alighted from the Toyota Probox car they were travelling in moments before the police ambush and later disappeared into the crowd.

Sources say the lady of Bajuni origin, whose identity cannot yet be revealed, alighted from the vehicle just before the raid to go deposit money at an M-Pesa shop at the ferry. Detectives are now hot on her trail.

The second escapee, Salim Rashid Mohammed, alias Chotara, 28, who is now being sought for his involvement in the botched plan, had in 2016 been arrested over terror-related cases but released on bond after police failed to find concrete evidence linking him to terror activities. He was later re-arrested in 2017 and charged with terror-related activities under case no PMCR 1558/2018 and 97/2020. It is said he jumped bail and vanished.

Sources also revealed that he is linked to Abdulhakim Saggar, a businessman who was arrested by ATPU officers in Old Town last week on Wednesday.

He has previously been arrested by the police but was released on bond.

Mr Saggar, it is alleged, was to aid in the botched attack by linking the terrorists to two other associates, who would later conduct the attack planned for this month on August 27. This was to commemorate the day Sheikh Aboud Rogo was killed. It is also alleged that Mr saggar is related to Sheikh Rogo.

Nation also understands that the Tanzanian suspect arrested yesterday has lived in Kenya before, and in 2016 was among those involved in an ambush at the Kombani police post in Kwale County. On January 2, they also attacked Tandoori Club in Diani. In the same year they threw a grenade in another police station.

“They had done a casing, which is basically a survey for the three areas in Bamburi and Nyali,” Nation was told.

But how are all the suspects linked?

Mr Saggar, who police have confirmed is in their custody, was first arrested in 2018 and charged in court for possessing terror-related materials on his phone.

“He has been co-operating with the officers. Even when he was asked to appear at the ATPU offices in Mombasa he did," the family’s lawyer, Mbugua Mureithi said, adding that Mr Saggar had reported to the ATPU offices once every month since 2018 when he was first taken into custody following the arrest of his employee, that put him on the radar of ATPU detectives.

According to Mr Saggar’s family, Alfan Ali Juma was arrested in 2018 and mentioned their kin (Mr Saggar) to be his employer, working for him as a gas supplier.

“There were two men who were arrested in 2018 around the Mandera area. One of them mentioned my brother as his employer, they then arrested my brother and opened charges against him. But no evidence was found. We are wondering why they are still holding him, “Faris Saggar, a brother told Nation.

Police records indicate that Mr Juma was arrested together with another suspect identified as Abdul Satar, as they asked for directions to Somalia, after travelling from Mombasa using a private car.

They were later taken to Muthaiga Police Station in Nairobi and presented at a Milimani court before being held at Kamiti Prison.

Ms Aziza Mwangi, a relative, says Mr Juma was later transferred to Shimo la Tewa Prison and was released on a free bond on condition that he was to report to the ATPU offices at the Coast.

But he would later go missing on the night of July 20, 2020, after security agents stormed their home in Utange, Mombasa.

The family then filed a forced disappearance report at the Bamburi Police Station under OB number 02/18/07/2020.

To date, his kin say they have no information on his whereabouts.

His brother, Ituka Idriss however disputed the Somalia mission, saying that his young brother (Juma) had attended a friend’s burial in the terror-prone county of Wajir.

However, in March, and according to an affidavit filed in court in a case where another terror suspect, Mr Richard Lazaro Kivatsi, was charged and released on bond, police said it had emerged that Mr Juma and Mr Rashid had flown to Mozambique.

In the case, police claimed that an analysis of Mr Kivatsi's two mobile phones indicated that he had allegedly been in close contact with Juma and Rashid, who are alleged to have fled to the Southern African country to join the terror group.

The two, the court was told, are facing terror-related charges in Mombasa and Shanzu courts but escaped to Mozambique after they were granted bond by the trial courts.

"These two accused persons are charged with terror offences, are out on bond and have breached the bond terms by not attending court and are at large to date. Intelligence reports indicate that the two are in Mozambique fighting for al-Qaeda," reads the affidavit by Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) officer Dickson Ndaru.

Intelligence reports indicated that several youths who were radicalised by Muslim cleric Aboud Rogo, who was shot dead on August 27, 2012, are among those who have been unleashing terror on the Coast of Mozambique.

A good number of suspects reportedly fled to Tanzania and Mozambique, among other African countries, following the death of Sheikh Rogo. The members got to Mozambique through Tanzania in Kibiti, where they had built a presence in 2015.

By Siago Cece, Farhiya Hussein and Brian Ocharo.