A Somali national has been detained for 30 days over his possible involvement in aiding and abetting the January 15, 2019 terrorist attack at 14 Riverside Drive.
The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit are investigating Yakub Issa Ahmed for a possible connection with the attack mastermind, Ali Salim Gichunge, after he was implicated by an ETR receipt recovered during a raid at Gichunge’s house in Muchatha, Kiambu County.
An affidavit by the investigating officer states that a day before the attack, the ETR receipt showed Gichunge had bought food from a KFC outlet on Limuru road and that the suspect was captured by the establishment’s CCTV at the counter placing an order at the time indicated in the receipt.
The court, presided by Senior Resident Magistrate Muthoni Nzibe, also ordered 21 days detention of 5 other suspects arrested in Mandera pending investigations into the terrorist act.
The five are Mohammed Hassan Hassan Sheik, HMA (a 15-year-old high school student), Mireh Abdulahi alias Jerry, Ali Issak Ahmed and Yussuf Maulid Hamed.
Mohammed Hassan Hassan is being investigated for allegedly facilitating movement of Gichunge’s wife, Violet Kemunto, from Mandera to Somalia. He also allegedly received a luggage from her sent by Gichunge.
The second respondent, a minor identified as HMA, is believed to have been in possession of a mobile phone which was reportedly used to communicate with Gichunge.
The minor also allegedly received a parcel from Gichunge on July 7, 2018 and that he was also in possession of the mobile phone number used to register a Facebook account that coordinated the Riverside attack.
Mireh Abdulahi, on the other hand, is being investigated for providing internet services used to coordinate the attack on diverse dates before and after, besides financing terrorists in and outside Kenya.
He is also believed to have acquired a Kenyan passport fraudulently as the said passport number in his possession reportedly belongs to someone else.
Ali Issak, a sub-manager at Faramell Communication, and his employee, Yusuf Maulid, is being investigated for registering a SIM card allegedly recovered at the scene of the attack and which is believed to have been used by the suicide bomber.
Police have also reportedly confiscated a number of electronic devices from the suspects hence requested for time for thorough analysis.