Woman quizzed on Westgate link

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers arrive at the Westgate mall in Nairobi on September 22, 2013. The owner of an identification card that was used to register a mobile phone line that investigators linked to the Westgate attackers Thursday distanced herself from terrorist activities. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Mr Saccid is not among the people charged over the September 21, 2013 attack and his whereabouts are unknown, although the cellphone line in his name was used to make a number of calls at around 1.18pm in the mall and at 8.30pm in Eastleigh, said the prosecution.
  • She lost her phones three times and each time, replaced the lines at agents without any problems.

The owner of an identification card that was used to register a mobile phone line that investigators linked to the Westgate attackers Thursday distanced herself from terrorist activities.

Ms Catherine Nthia Kimunyi’s ID card number was used to register a line from which several calls were made during and after the shopping mall attack in which 67 people were killed, a court heard.

Ms Nthia, however, said she had never lost her ID card and denied knowing a Mr Abdiqadir Abdi Saccid, in whose name the line was registered, after she was shown a Safaricom subscriber form indicating she was the owner of the ID card.

WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

Mr Saccid is not among the people charged over the September 21, 2013 attack and his whereabouts are unknown, although the cellphone line in his name was used to make a number of calls at around 1.18pm in the mall and at 8.30pm in Eastleigh, said the prosecution.

“I do not know this person but I can confirm that the ID number used to register his cellphone is mine,” said Ms Nthia.

She said she did not know how her ID number came to be used to register the cellphone.

Ms Nthia was also shown a separate registration for a cellphone line that also bore her ID number, but was in the name of Rose Mukele. Ms Nthia also denied knowing the person.

The witness also denied being at the Westgate mall or near Eastleigh on the day the terrorists struck.

“Do you know who could have been using the phone?” asked prosecutor James Mungai, to which the witness responded in the negative.

LOST PHONES

Ms Nthia said she registered her Safaricom and Airtel lines using her ID card number.

She lost her phones three times and each time, replaced the lines at agents without any problems.

She denied involvement in any illegal activity, or having a relationship with Mr Saccid.

“I have never had a Somali boyfriend,” she said.

Meanwhile, the prosecution yesterday preferred additional charges against the four men charged over the Westgate bloodbath.

Mr Mohammed Ahmed Abdi, Mr Liban Abdulahi Omar, Mr Adan Dheq and Mr Hussein Hassan Mustafa denied a new charge of conspiring with others not before the court, to carry out the attack on the mall.

Mr Ahmed was further charged with being a member of the Somali group Al-Shabaab. The court heard that he was found in possession of videos titled Training series in Swahili and Ambush at Bardale, which the prosecution said could be used in instigating and facilitating acts of terror.

Proceedings resume on August 5.