Witnesses in terror case to be protected

Sheikh Khalid Mohamed Ali before the High Court in Mombasa in this picture taken on July 22, 2015. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANG I | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The court ordered the Witness Protection Agency to make the necessary arrangements for the two to be taken to safe places.
  • The court cancelled a Sh10 million bond and two sureties of similar amounts granted to Mr Ali, who is accused of being an Al-Shabaab member.

The High Court has directed that two witnesses scheduled to testify against a terrorism suspect be protected.

The court issued the order after the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said Sheikh Khalid Mohamed Ali’s associates and sympathisers eliminated five witnesses and were attempting to kill the remaining ones.

“Five witnesses were killed near Bodhei in Lamu County when a police vehicle was hit by landmines planted by the associates of the accused.

“The remaining witnesses feel threatened and we ask you to order their protection," Principal Prosecuting Counsel Jami Yamina said on Thursday.

The DPP said Mr Ali masterminded and financed the July 13 landmine attack on a police vehicle on the Bodhei-Bargoni road.

He added that the attackers used explosives and sprayed the vehicle with bullets, killing the witnesses, who were on their way to record statements.

“Investigations concluded that the attackers were Al-Shabaab members,” he added.

Mr Ali has also been linked to the attackers hiding in Boni Forest.

The court ordered the Witness Protection Agency to make the necessary arrangements for the two to be taken to safe places.

The defence is also expected to be supplied with the statements of the witnesses without their names, addresses and other descriptions that would expose their identity.

Last month, the court cancelled a Sh10 million bond and two sureties of similar amounts granted to Mr Ali, who is accused of being an Al-Shabaab member.

He was arrested in May. Police say they found a hand grenade and plastic explosives in his house in Bondeni.