Court detains three women over Sunday's raid on Mombasa police station

Naima Mohamed Ali, Saida Ali Hajji and Shukri Ali Hajji before a Mombasa court yesterday where they were accused of habouring terrorists involved in an attack on a police station on Sunday. (PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/ STANDARD)

A deaf woman is among three people remanded over Sunday's terror attack on a police station in Mombasa.

The suspects are being held at Central Police Station to allow detectives to complete investigations into the attack that left three female assailants dead.

Shukri Ali Haji who is deaf, Naema Mohammed Ahmed and Saida Ali Haji were arrested on Sunday and have been remanded after the prosecution said it cannot proceed with the case because the suspects do not understand English or Kiswahili while the other one is deaf.

The women have been accused of harbouring Tasmin Yakub Abdullahi Farah, said to be from Somali, in their house in Kibokoni, Mombasa.

Tasmin is one of the three women who launched the attack where two police officers were injured and a section of the police station burnt. She was however shot dead alongside her two accomplices.

The police, in a sworn affidavit, asked the court to give them 30 days to investigate the suspects. Investigators said the suspects' accomplice are still at large.

Resident Magistrate Emmanuel Mutunga, however, ordered the suspects to be brought to court today when interpreters will be provided.

"It is the right of the suspects to understand the proceedings and court the will provide sign and language interpreter tomorrow. In the meantime, the suspects will be remanded at Port Police station," he said.

Police claim the suspects welcomed the slain Tasmin in their house on September 11 before she led an attack on the police station.

"The three suspects are believed to be Al Shabaab operatives and currently in the country as refugees who posses refugee cards," the police said in their affidavit.

The police accuse the suspects of having rented the house ostensibly to be used by Al Shabaab and ISIS operatives to carry out terror activities.