After conviction in Kenya, Al-Shabaab militants set for sentencing

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Two members of the Al-Shabaab terror group will be sentenced on Thursday (today) in the Republic of Kenya, in one of the landmark cases involving members of the al-Qaeda network in Africa, which has been prosecuted in a court of law.

Abdimajit Hassan Adan and Mohammed Osman Nane will be sentenced in Nairobi after Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul found them guilty of being members of the designated group, which has been wreaking havoc in East and Horn of Africa.

In her detailed judgment, the magistrate established that besides bringing members of Al-Shabaab, the militants were planning to commit terror acts and owning weapons. The terrorists were arrested in Merti, Isiolo County, on February 15, 2018, with a vehicle loaded with explosives en route to Nairobi.

Evidence submitted in court shows the militants had Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) with a cache of weapons and explosives including 110 Trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives, five AK47 riffles, 36 gun magazines, 36 unprimed hand grenades, 18 pairs of grenade primers, five military grade projectiles, three modified Nokia phones and three military knives.

The arrest and subsequent recovery of the lethal weapons was a product of a meticulous intelligence-led operation, which thwarted planned terrorist attacks, police said, in a landmark case that shows Kenya's commitment to the fight against Al-Shabaab.

Some of the key installations the terrorists planned to attack included the Parliament, Supreme Court, University of Nairobi (UoN), County Hall, Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Central Bus Station, Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Serena Hotel, Jeevanjee Gardens and Milimani Law Courts.

Apart from Abdmajit and Mohammed, Lydia Nyawira was also found guilty of forgery of official documents, having procured Kenyan national identity cards to facilitate the movement of the terrorists in the country. In this regard, she also awaits her sentencing tomorrow with bated breath.

Jailing terrorists and their collaborators is a clear indication that actors in the criminal justice system are committed to fighting terrorism, prosecutors said. The judgment comes as Kenya experiences relative calmness along Lamu and northeastern after security forces stamped their authority against the militants.

Initially, the convicts had targeted the Milimani Chief Magistrate court on February 16 2018 when Sheikh Guyo Gorsa was expected to appear in court to take a plea in terrorism and related charges and the attack was meant to illegally free him from custody but their intentions were nipped in the bud.

GAROWE ONLINE