Mystery of missing Mosque raid suspect

Nema Salim, sister of missing Hemed Salim, and Khalid Hussein, chief executive officer of Haki Africa show pictures of Hemed at a Press conference in Mombasa, Sunday. [Photo: Omondi Onyango/Standard]

By Philip Mwakio and Willis Oketch

Mombasa, Kenya: A new controversy has hit the fight against Muslim militancy in Mombasa after a family claimed that a suspect captured during the February 2, raid on the controversial Musa mosque has not been brought to court and cannot be traced at any police station.

Meanwhile, Evans Wasonga, the officer investigating the 104 suspects including three women has sworn an affidavit dated February 7, claiming that some of the suspects ‘jointly with others’ were at an advanced stage of  ‘executing a terrorist act at an unspecified target within the Republic of Kenya’.

Mr Wasonga said the State will oppose their release on bond on security grounds when the trial resumes Monday. 

An official from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit claimed that the multi-agency group probing the suspect had received information that a group within the group in custody had procured material to prepare an explosive and weapons to launch a Westgate Mall-style attack on unknown targets.

The official did not indicate how this information was received, where the alleged material was gotten from and what targets were involved.

The trial will resume today before a different magistrate at Shanzu Law Courts outside Mombasa following the withdrawal of Senior Resident Magistrate James Omburah on Friday, after he clashed with defence lawyers.

Mombasa police refused to comment on the whereabouts of a man the family and rights groups have identified as Hemed Salim Ahmed, amid claims that no less than six suspects captured in the raid could be undergoing interrogation at unknown locations in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Coast Regional CID Officer Henry Ondiek told The Standard: “I have not fully been briefed on this matter (Hemed’s case).”

He referred us to Mombasa OCPD Rop Kipkemboi, who did not return calls. Mombasa DCIO, a Mr Nyagah also declined to discuss Hemed’s alleged disappearance.

Hemed was among the last people to be captured after police stormed the last resistance by militants and worshippers near the mosque’s pulpit where security officers claim to have found a G-3 rifle that they allege was snatched from a wounded and bleeding GSU officer.

But Hemed’s name does not appear in the list presented to court by police and later uttered by court officials on February 3 and February 7.

When he emerged from the mosque dazed and shaken, police tried to link him to the firearm but he claimed he had gone to the mosque to pray with his wife.