Police at the Coast are still piecing together the evidence on how two terror suspects arrested in Likoni early this month planned a deadly attack in the region.
Bakari Chibonja and Athuman Nyae were arrested by a multi-agency security team in Likoni on October 1.
Three terror suspects – Swaleh Yusuf, Salama Salim and Mkubwa Sadi – were gunned down. An assorted cache of weapons including bullets, grenades and guns, was recovered alongside 25 mobile phones.
Chibonja and Nyae were charged with harbouring persons concerned in the commission of a terrorist act and giving support for the commission of a terror act. The felled suspects were found in their house.
They were also charged with being members of a terror group.
The duo denied the charges before Mombasa senior resident magistrate Rita Amwayi.
According to the Anti-Terror Police Unit, the two are part of an organised transnational criminal outfit that operates in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia and other counties.
Detective Dickson Indaru, who investigated the case, said the suspects were either targeting a government installation or planning an attack on Mashujaa Day at the renovated Sh460 million Mama Ngina Waterfront Park.
“Intelligence reports show that the accused and others at large were planning a major attack during Mashujaa Day in Mombasa using assorted weapons,” Indaru said in a sworn affidavit.
He said that it is believed the accused are members of al Shabaab, which has a wide network and is believed to have sent its operatives in Mombasa.
“The first accused (Chibonja) is under police radar in the anti-terrorism police database and it has been revealed that he had earlier featured in a terrorism-related incident in Mombasa,” he said.
Police have submitted the recovered guns for ballistic examination and the 25 phones sent for data retrieval.
“The phones might reveal other suspects who are still at large,” the detective said.
State counsel Erick Masila asked the court to detain them because they might interfere with investigations.
He said some key witnesses are vulnerable because they are yet to be admitted into the witness protection programme.
“There is reasonable evidence that if the accused persons are released on bail, they may interfere with the ongoing investigations,” he said.
The matter will be mentioned on November 11.
Edited by R.Wamochie
