Kenya takes manhunt for Mombasa terror planners to Somalia

Abdiaziz Abdillahi Abdi (left) and Isaak Ibrahim Noor in court Monday.  [PHOTO: Gideon Maundu]

By WILLIS OKETCH

MOMBASA, KENYA: Kenya has supplied a list of suspects it wants the Somali government to arrest for interrogation over the foiled terror plot in Mombasa last week.

Police announced in Mombasa Monday that the investigation on Abdiaziz Abdillahi Abdi and Isaak Ibrahim Noor who are linked to a booby-trapped car in Mombasa has been extended to Somalia.

The two appeared in court yesterday and the prosecution sought a 10-day adjournment to enable detectives complete their investigations.

The two suspected terrorists have been charged with being in possession of six bombs in a Mombasa court.

Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Irene Ruguru ordered the suspects who be remanded in the police custody for 10 days to give the police more time to investigate the matter.

State counsel Peter Kiprop had urged the court to give the police more time as investigations had now extended across the borders.

The suspects, who phones were seized by the police on March 11 when they were arrested at Changamwe in Mombasa, were first remanded in the police custody for five days on March 12 .

They were again remanded in the custody for seven days on March 17 by Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo after the police applied for more days.

The suspects, intelligence says, were being tracked from Somalia and arrested by pnti-terrorists police in a garage at Magongo where they had parked a vehicle that was being used armoury.

 Sources said the police had engaged Interpol to help in the investigation.

Police believe the suspects could be linked to the Westgate attack in Nairobi.