Standard Digital News : : The Counties - Three Somali nationals linked to Gikomba, Nairobi terror attack remanded

Standard Digital News : : The Counties - Three Somali nationals linked to Gikomba, Nairobi terror attack remanded

A Nairobi court has declined to release on bail a man and two women of Somali origin believed to be behind the terrorist attack in Gikomba market in May. Ten people died and scores were injured in the attack on the busy market.
The court heard that the three were arrested on October 25 by Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers as they were planning retaliatory terror attacks in Nairobi, after allegedly entering the country from Somalia.
Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Joseph Karanja remanded Abdirahman Jamal, Mariam Abdi and Joweriyo Hassan pending the hearing and determination of their case on December 1, after they pleaded not guilty to three counts of terror-related charges.
The magistrate was told ATPU investigators obtained an order from the High Court on October 27 allowing them to remand the accused so they could complete investigations.
The magistrate said the prosecution presented in court had compelling reasons that prompted him to remand the three awaiting their December 1 trial.
"The charges against the accused are serious. I take judicial notice of the frequent terror attacks that the country has been subjected to in the recent past and direct the accused to remain in custody pending the hearing of their case," Mr Karanja ruled.
According to police, Jamal, Abdi and Hassan were arrested through an operation mounted by ATPU officers in the city's Eastleigh estate two weeks ago as police issued an alert that members of Al-Shabaab had been dispatched in the city and were getting ready to carry out deadly attacks in the country.
Through a Somali interpreter, the suspects yesterday pleaded guilty to the charges but on being read the facts by the prosecutor, they denied committing the offences.