British terror suspect trailed before arrest, court told

British terror suspect Jermaine Grant follows proceedings in a Shanzu court on August 19, 2014. No DNA or fingerprints were lifted from exhibits seized at a house where suspected British terrorist Jermaine Grant lived, a court heard on Thursday. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT

British terror suspect Jermaine Grant and a Kenyan accomplice were under surveillance by the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) before they were arrested, a court heard on Tuesday.

Corporal Kennedy Opasi, who was an ATPU detective at the time of the surveillance, told the court that the unit had a positive identification and description of Mr Grant and Mr Fuad Abubakar prior to their arrest in December 2011.

“According to the information we had been given, we were told the suspects were dangerous,” Mr Opasi told senior principal magistrate Joyce Gandani.

He was testifying in a case in which Mr Grant is charged with being in possession of explosive materials.

The officer said on December 12, 2011, while at ATPU offices in Mombasa, the unit received information that some suspects engaged in terrorism activities were on the loose.

Mr Opasi said that they managed to get the suspects' name and started surveillance on them.

INITIAL INTELLIGENCE

The former ATPU detective, who is currently under the county police command, said Mr Abubakarv was the most adversely mentioned in the initial intelligence.

He said on December 19, 2011, the day police planned to arrest the suspects, they got reinforcement from their colleagues in Nairobi.

Mr Opasi said the two suspects were arrested in the Bakarani area in Mombasa by two officers who were part of the group conducting the operation.

Upon arrest, Mr Grant introduced himself as Peter Joseph.

A search of him yielded three mobile phones, a flash disc and a black wallet with Sh2,700.

Mr Abubakar, the court heard, was found with two mobile phones, an identity card and its copy, a driving licence, a pen knife and a mobile phone SIM card.

Mr Opasi said the suspects were taken to Bamburi Police Station.

Thereafter, the detectives went to a house next to the Kishada grounds in the Bakarani area, where they found a woman and searched the house.

The witness said he was directed to search the two-bedroom house and in one of the rooms he found a yellow polythene paper with plastic containers.

CHEMICALS FOUND

The witness said the containers had chemicals, including acetone, lead nitrate, sulphur sublime, urea, hydrogen peroxide among other items.

The witness said the suspects, including the woman they found in the house, were arrested and later charged.

Mr Grant, alias Ali Mohamed, has been charged alongside Ms Warda Breik and Mr Frank Nyenyo.

The British terror suspect and Ms Breik are facing the charge of being in possession of explosive materials.

In the second count, in which they have jointly been charged with Mr Nyenyo, they allegedly jointly with others not before court conspired to improvise an explosive device with the intent to cause loss of lives and harm to innocent citizens.

Mr Abubakar, who had been charged alongside the three, had been released on bond and, according to the prosecution, is at large.