Police seek to hold suspect for 30 days

Police raided a terror suspect's house and recovered a Mini Glock gun with a magazine loaded with three bullets from the suspect’s room. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The suspect had been remanded in custody for seven days to enable the police to conduct investigations.
  • The State counsel said a mobile phone and a tablet recovered from the suspect also need to be analysed to establish his terror network.

Police want a terror suspect they claim has links with the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq remanded in custody for another 30 days to enable them to finalise investigations.

In an application filed in a Mombasa court, the police claim Mr Yasir Azam Abdulakhan has been in contact with individuals allied to the IS terror group.

Senior State counsel Daniel Wamotsa told the court: “The suspect is believed to have contacts with the terror gang based in the Middle East. From the police affidavit, it is clear the suspect has travelled to Qatar before.”

Mr Abdulakhan, a Kenyan who lives in Majengo Mapya, Likoni Sub-County, Mombasa County, was arrested on September 20 following information that he had contact with sympathisers of the terror group.

Police recovered a Mini Glock gun with a magazine loaded with three bullets from the suspect’s room.

Four compact discs and documents with pictures used for instigating terrorism were also recovered.

Mr Wamotsa said the investigations are wide and complex and would require the police to travel with Mr Abdulakhan to different towns in the country to establish his associates, hence the need to detain the suspect for 30 days.

“Investigations involving various government agencies are ongoing. We are set to forward the recovered items to our ballistic expert for a comprehensive report,” he said

He added: “The compact discs and documents also need to be taken to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit headquarters in Nairobi for analysis by information and communications technology personnel.”

The suspect had been remanded in custody for seven days to enable the police to conduct investigations.

The State counsel said a mobile phone and a tablet recovered from the suspect also need to be analysed to establish his terror network.

Mr Wamotsa further told the court that documents show that the suspect stayed in the Middle East for at least two years, and that he failed to produce his national identity card and passport for verification.

Defence lawyer Chacha Mwita dismissed the application made by the prosecution, saying his client had genuine documents and that he had travelled to Qatar to seek employment.

“Your honour, it is wrong to say that staying outside the country is a crime,” he said.

He produced papers in court stating that the suspect had an identification document, number 29393325.

Senior Principal Magistrate Henry Nyakweb deferred the ruling until the suspect takes plea.