Tanzanian national arrested for harbouring 2 terror suspects at Mombasa home

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 6 Mar, 2023 18:12 | < 1 min read
Ali Ayub alias Paul Nandege when he was arraigned at Mombasa Law Courts on Monday, March 6, 2023. PHOTO/Sophie Njoka

Detectives from the Anti-terror Police Unit have arrested a Tanzanian national for allegedly hosting two suspected terrorists in Changamwe, Mombasa county.

The sleuths picked Ali Ayub alias Paul Nandege from his home on suspicion that he was harbouring the two men who had earlier been arrested while allegedly preparing to commit a terrorist attack in the country.

Ayub was arraigned at the Mombasa Law Courts on Monday, March 6, 2023, where the prosecution sought to have the suspect detained for 10 days to allow police conclude their investigations.

In a sworn affidavit, Police Constable Micah Cheruiyot told Mombasa Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet that the suspect is a threat to national security.

The officer attached to the Anti-terror Police Unit in Mombasa said the suspect is believed to have facilitated the travel of two suspected terrorists, Sheiba Hamisi Omar and Abdulharam Hamisi Omar to the country from Somalia to commit terror-related activities.

"Investigations have revealed that the above two suspects arrived in the country and the respondent received them and hosted them for a period of 2 months during which time he assisted them procure Kenyan birth certificate and other relevant documents," the officer told the court.

The officer argued that the police need more time to conduct a forensic analysis of two mobile phones seized from the suspect at the time of his arrest.

He said the phones are registered under the names of his Kenyan wife and are believed to have been used to constantly and previously communicate with the two suspects before they left Somalia.

"The said mobile phones are yet to be subjected to forensic analysis and we require more time to conclude investigations," Cheruiyot said.

The suspect opposed the application stating that he is a family man taking care of ten orphans.

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