Man who 'confessed' to be Al Shabaab member remanded pending investigations

A man of Somali origin who allegedly confessed to be a member of Al Shabaab, has been remanded by a Nairobi court to allow police complete investigations.

Abdirahaman Salat Mahamud appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Daniel Ogembo yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of terrorism-related charges.

Mahamud was arrested by Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives on August 5 in Eastleigh and later grilled at ATPU headquarters.

Mr Ogembo directed Mahamud to be remanded at Industrial Area Prison until next week on Monday, pending the hearing of his case on September 18.

“The court is not in a position to make a ruling on bond at this stage owing to the nature of the offences the accused is facing. The request can be canvassed at the trial court where he will be free to revisit the issue of bail,” Ogembo said.

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Prosecutor Andrew Momanyi, through a Somali interpreter, told the court that Mahamud  confessed to be a member of the terrorist group on August 6 at Eastleigh Estate in Nairobi.

The suspect faced a second count of being illegally in the country. It was alleged that he was found to be in Kenya unlawfully as he did not have a valid permit or visa.

Momanyi asked the court not to release Mahamud on bail, arguing he was a threat to  security. He said it is not known when the suspect entered the country, noting he might have sneaked in since he had no proper travel documents.

“The suspect’s place of abode is not known and he is therefore a flight risk if released on bail. It is the prosecution’s request that he remains in remand pending further investigations,” Momanyi said.