Whiskey River Pub terror suspects arraigned, detained for eight days

What you need to know:

  • The five arrested on Saturday are Somali nationals Mohamed Hassan Bario, Hodan Abdi Ismail and a 16-year-old minor, US citizen Mohamed Abas Mohamud and Kenyan driver Mohamed Adan.
  • Terror suspect Abdiqani Mohammed Gaal, who says he is a Briton, was also taken to court on Monday.
  • Police told the court that they needed to look into his nationality, given he was in Mogadishu, Somalia, and has no formal employment in Kenya.
  • An Egypt national, Mohmoud Fouad Mohamoud Abdelsattern, was detained for one day. The ATPU will receive a report in relation to his case from communication department.

Several terror suspects, including five arrested for allegedly surveying Whiskey River Pub along Kiambu Road, were arraigned on Monday.

The five arrested on Saturday are Somali nationals Mohamed Hassan Bario, Hodan Abdi Ismail and a 16-year-old minor, US citizen Mohamed Abas Mohamud and Kenyan driver Mohamed Adan.

Senior Resident Magistrate Zainab Abdul allowed police to hold them for eight more days to complete investigations.

The four named suspects will be held at the ATPU headquarters and the minor at a separate location.

SUSPECT'S REQUEST

The US citizen claimed he had not been given an opportunity to contact his family or a lawyer to represent him.

Senior Resident Magistrate Zainab Abdul gave him 15 minutes to go through case documents filed by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) and contact a lawyer.

After the time lapsed, however, he agreed to have the ATPU officers proceed with their requests.

The suspect told the court that although he was set to travel out of the country on January 21, he would agree to detention until police finish investigations.

OTHER SUSPECTS

Terror suspect Abdiqani Mohammed Gaal, who says he is a Briton, was also taken to court on Monday.

Police told the court that they needed to look into his nationality, given he was in Mogadishu, Somalia, and has no formal employment in Kenya. The court allowed them to detain the suspect for one day at the ATPU headquarters.

Gaal was arrested on January 18 at the British High Commission after failing to give a proper account of himself and demanding an explanation as to why Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was killed.

Mr Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport.

He was the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran's overseas operations, and is deemed by the US to be a foreign terrorist organisation.

Egypt national Mohmoud Fouad Mohamoud Abdelsattern was detained for one day. The ATPU will receive a report in relation to his case from its information and communication department.

He was arrested at Monarch Hotel in Kilimani, Nairobi, on January 16.