Terror convicts (from left) Lydia Nyawira Mburu, Mohamed Osman Nane and Abdimajit Hassan Adan.
Details of how a special police unit arrested two men, who were on Thursday handed lengthy jail terms for terrorism, can now be revealed.
Abdimajit Hassan Adan and Mohammed Osman Nane, who were sent to Kamiti Maximum Security Prison for 25 years, will serve 19 years in prison after six years of the mandatory sentences were commuted.
Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul found the duo guilty of possessing weapons for terrorism purposes contrary to Section 12 (a) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2012 but acquitted them of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
They were also found guilty of being members of a terrorist organisation.
Nation can, however, reveal that it was not an easy task for the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers, who spent days observing the operations of a suspected al-Shabaab terrorist.
On February 15, 2018, four al-Shabaab terrorists — Mbarak Abdi Huka, Mohammed Osman Nane, Ahmed and Said — left El- Adde in Somalia for Nairobi in a Mitsubishi Outlander car registration number KBM 200D. It was packed with home-made bombs.
Their mission was to attack critical installations in the capital. Their colleague Abdimajit Hassan Adan, was to meet them in Merti, Isiolo County.
Abdimajit had been on the radar of the Kenya’s intelligence services since 2015 when he fled to Somalia, joined al-Shabaab and fought in the area between Jilib and Buale.
Having been recruited into al-Shabaab by his brother, Abdimajit had been in Somalia for two years before secretly sneaking back to Nairobi in October 2017.
His brother was killed by fellow fighters after they accused him of being a spy. Once back in Kenya, Abdimajit was placed under surveillance by ATPU officers.
It was in Merti while waiting for the arrival of his accomplices that Abdimajit, who was riding a motorcycle registration number KMEE 180R, was accosted by an elite team from the Kenyan security services. Police had also been tracking the terrorists’ vehicle as it approached the Kenyan border before entering the country.
A shoot-out ensued, resulting in the death of Mbarak Abdi Huka, and the narrow escape of Ahmed and Said.
The officers tasked with dealing with the militants then conducted a search of the vehicle, which was found to be wired with a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED).
A VBIED is often used by al-Shabaab militants to carry out mass casualty attacks.
The VBIED contained eight 88mm and four 380mm high explosive projectiles concealed on four doors and under the windscreen wipers, and a 220mm and 690mm high explosive pipe bombs concealed behind the dashboard.
In addition, a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a cache of weapons, including 36 hand grenades, military knives, five AK47 rifles with 36 fully loaded magazines, one rifle had 22 rounds and an empty magazine, 18 items wrapped in black tape and an al-Shabaab flag.
The vehicle was carefully detonated. An investigation was then launched by the security forces, which led to a larger discovery Kenyan financiers and logisticians who ran various businesses.
Among them was wanted terror mastermind Ali Mohamed Rage, alias Ali Dheere.
In February 2023, the United States of America (USA) had announced a reward of up to Sh730 million for information on Dheere’s whereabouts.
It is Dheere who provided logistical support to Abdimajit and also helped him acquire the motor vehicle.
The duo’s arrest marked the beginning of the dismantling of a network involving several financiers and logisticians.
Abdimajit, Nane and Huka, all Kenyans, were on security officers’ radar after fleeing the country to join al-Shabaab in 2015, 2013 and 2012 respectively.
During the investigation, other Kenyans who were also charged after being linked to the terrorists also became persons of interest.
They include taxi driver Anthony Kitila Makau alias Rasta, John Maina Kiarie who died in 2021, Lydia Nyawira Mburu and Francis Macharia Karishu.
Mr Macharia, who runs a printing business on Luthuli Avenue in Nairobi, was declared wanted on May 18, 2018 and the National Police Service (NPS) offered a cash reward of Sh1 million.
Makau and Karishu were acquitted of all charges. Mr Makau was accused of helping Abdimajit buy two vehicles, including the SUV used by the terrorists to leave Somalia for Kenya.
However, Ms Mburu, who helped the two convicts’ accomplice to procure a fake national identity card, was found guilty of forgery of an official document.
It is Ms Mburu who had made a national identity card for Huka, the wanted terrorist who was killed in Merti in Isiolo County after a shoot-out with the Kenyan authorities.
