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| Six of the seven suspects police link to the financing of the deadly Dusit hotel attack when they were arraigned in Nairobi on January 23, 2019. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP |
A Magistrate Court will on Thursday hear and determine whether it will grant bond to seven more terror suspects linked to the Dusit Hotel attack that left 21 people dead.
The suspects, Mr Hassan Abdi Nur, Mr Ismael Sadiq Abitham, Mr Ali Khamisi Ali, Mr Abdinoor Maalima Osmail, Mr Abdullahi Muhumed Hassan and Ms Sophia Njoki Mbogo were arraigned on Wednesday before Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku.
Anti-Terrorism Police Unit told court that they were arrested in various parts in Nairobi and are suspected to have possibly financed the terror attack that took place last week between January 15 and 16 at Riverside Drive.
SA LINK
Court was told that Nur operates an M-Pesa business through a company whose identity cannot be disclosed as it will jeopardise ongoing investigations.
He allegedly registered 47 accounts in October last year using only two handsets tracked to Eastleigh but which had different identity cards and names.
Police claimed he received huge amounts of money from South Africa that he withdrew from a specific till number at Diamond Trust Bank and then sent the funds to Somalia.
The court was also told that intelligence report revealed the money was usually sent after several calls were made.
MONEY LAUNDERING
Police said Mr Abitham, the second suspect, was in constant communication with the main attacker who was killed during the attack, Ali Salim Gichunge and his wife who is on the run, Violet Omwoyo Kemunto.
He is accused of being involved in money laundering and transacting funds believed to be used for terrorism.
Mr Ali, the third suspect is a marketing manager with Horizon TV and is believed to have been in communication with several contacts in Somalia who are suspected to be members of Al-Shabaab.
Mr Osmail, the fourth suspect, is a graduate of the Kenya School of Law and is currently undergoing pupillage.
He is believed to have registered several mobile phone numbers used to receive money for terrorism purposes. In the last few months, he allegedly received Sh100million.
Mr Hassan, the fifth accused person, operates a parcel business within Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate and is suspected to have been used by the terrorists.
ATPU told court that he was in constant communication with Faisal Mohammed Digale, who was involved in the Garissa attack as well as Gichunge.
Ms Mbogo who is the sixth suspect, is a branch manager at DTB Eastleigh branch.
Police accused her of allowing huge sums of monies to be cashed within a very short period of time without evidence.
While the rest of the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, Ms Mbogo was arrested yesterday. A seventh suspect, Mr Isaak Omar Mohammed, was arrested in Wajir.
Eight more suspects have already been arraigned and have been detained for 30 days.