Suspects held following Likoni church attack plead guilty to possessing “terrorism inciting materials”

Juma Hamisi and his wife Misaid Athman when they appeared before court, the two have been remanded. [PHOTO: KELVIN KARANI/STANDARD]

By KELVIN KARANI

MOMBASA, KENYA: A man and his wife have been charged in Mombasa with child abduction and possessing material inciting terrorism.

They were arrested last week in Mombasa's Likoni slums following the March 23 massacre of worshipers at the Joy of Jesus Church and the infants they are accused of stealing are the children of a terrorism suspect killed by police in February last year.

Juma Hamisi and Misaid Athman, a Tanzanian were arraigned before magistrate Justus Kituku Wednesday facing the charge of possessing materials with information contrary to the law. The prosecution alleged that the couple was arrested with material on Digital Versatile Disks DVDs and Video Compact Disks VCDs which police claim have messages inciting terrorism.

The DVDs and VCDs include some entitled Khilafa ni Suluhisho , Nasaha Kwa Vijana,  Dua for Mujahidun, Cowboys in Iraq,  Rijal, Lfe Under the Shade and two other unmarked DVDs which police allege were seized when they raided the couple's house on Tuesday last week.

On April 3 this year, police received court permission to detain them for more days to enable investigations and now the prosecution claims the material has been used in instigating the commission of terrorism act by "providing and facilitating the provision of training instructions to any person or member of a terrorism group in the practice of military exercise and movements.

"This was with the knowledge that such instructions are intended for the use in the commission of terrorist act in contrary to the terrorism act."

In the second count  they are accused of  "denying eight years old Abdukarim Shaban and seven years old Hudhafa Shaban their rights to live and be cared for by their parents Fauzia Nasonga (their mother) by taking them away from the custody of their mother."

The two suspects who are unrepresented pleaded guilty to the first charge but denied the second.

Police told the court that the two infants were children of the late Shaban Namusanga who was shot dead on February in the year 2013 after being suspected of being a terrorist.

His wife, the mother of the children relocated to Kakamega where she is alleged said to have remarried to one Musa Kassim. She is now facing the charge of neglecting the children.

The two suspects pleaded with the magistrate to set them free on bond to take care of their children.

“Our children so far do not know where we are and our stay here might affect them. We are asking the court to release us on bond," said Hamisi. The magistrate will rule on the bond application Thursday and pass judgement on the first charge on April 28.