Man linked to UK jihadists charged in Mombasa court

Mohammed Ibrahim Noor stand at the dock of Mombasa law court. He was arrested on 16th September at Mlolongo in Machakos County. He is suspected to be the the owner of the bag carrying materials suspected to be used for terrorism activities in Garissa county. [Photo/Omondi Onyango/Standard]

A suspected terrorist police believe to be the main link between a UK Islamic extremist and Kenyan women jihadists has been charged. Police yesterday said Mohamed Ibrahim Noor was the linkman between the suppliers of gadgets confiscated from three women on Wednesday that were to be used to carry out an attack in Garissa.

Noor was arrested on the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway in Mlolongo, aboard a bus heading to Nairobi.

The women - Nargris Gulam, Mwanjuma Tayari and Saumu Athman, were arrested on Wednesday in Mtwapa with bags containing laptops, surveillance pens, military boots and satellite phones. Other gadgets the police confiscated from the suspects are a laptop charger, external hard disk and ear phones used by security personnel. Police believe the gadgets were handed to the said suspect by Fatma Nasri Gulamu, who boarded a plane at Moi International Airport en route to the UK. She is believed to have boarded the plane at about 4am on Wednesday after delivering the said luggage.

On Thursday, the police said that Nasri had met with a man who escaped the dragnet and was heading to Nairobi.

Noor, however, refuted claims that he was linked to Nasri, but admitted that he processed the tickets for three women that were heading to Garissa. “I do not know anything about this case. I came in the picture after somebody asked me to help in getting a ticket to Garissa” said Noor.

Noor said this yesterday before Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo who ordered he be remanded at Makupa Police Station for 20 days to allow for police investigations.

State lawyer Eugene Wangila told the court that the suspect could be connected with the three suspected jihadists intercepted by the police while taking a bag with material they believe was going to be used in committing terrorism. “One of the suspects while in custody told us that Noor is the one who gave them the bag with military boot, surveillance camera, a laptop and other materials to be delivered to Al Shabaab operatives in Garissa,” said Wangila.

The police say the arrest of Noor could lead to finding the woman who flew out of the country from Moi International Airport aboard a Turkey airline on Wednesday.

The woman, the police said was heading to UK and is suspected to be behind recruitment of jihadist brides from Kenya to Somalia to be married off to jihadists. British High Commission spokesman in Nairobi Steven Burns said on Thursday that his country’s Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Police were in touch with Kenya’s authorities.