Mombasa terror suspects remanded for 20 days

From Left: Nasra Faiz Hyder, Salim Mohamed Rashid and Aisha Faiz Hyder at the Shanzu Law Courts on February 20, 2017. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Marinda told the court that the suspects were intercepted while they were on their way to Syria at the Turkish boarder.
  • Defence lawyer Yusuf Aboubakar said the application to have the suspects further remanded lacked legal basis.
  • The case will be mentioned on April 4.

Two terror suspects who were arrested by police in Mombasa last month have been remanded for further 20 days to allow completion of investigations.

Nasra Faiz Hyder and Salim Mohamed Rashid whom police say are suspected associates of the Islamist group ISIS had last month been detained for 21 days.

However, two women who had been detained together with Ms Nasra and Mr Rashid were set free by Shanzu senior principal magistrate Diana Mochache.

Ms Mochache yesterday discharged them after the prosecution said police had found nothing to link Ms Aisha Faiz Hyder and Fatuma Mohamed Rashid with terrorism related activities.

Prosecutor Beryl Marinda,in seeking to have Ms Nasra and Mr Rashid further remanded told the court that investigations against them by the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit officers was still going on.

Ms Marinda told the court that police are apprehensive that the suspects may have been planning to execute terror attacks in the country.

She added that police were yet to record statements of witnesses and are apprehensive that the suspects may interfere with them should they be released.

“Discharging them may cause interference with witnesses,” said Ms Marinda who further told the court that it has become necessary for investigators to travel to Turkey to gather more information to help in investigations.

She added that the investigators have sought mutual legal assistance with the view of travelling to Turkey.

“The court should take judicial notice that this is a public interest case hence investigations ought to be properly done,” said Ms Marinda.

Ms Marinda told the court that the suspects were intercepted while they were on their way to Syria at the Turkish boarder.

Defence lawyer Yusuf Aboubakar said the application to have the suspects further remanded lacked legal basis.

He said it had not been stated by the prosecution what was done within the 21 days the suspects were in custody and what was not done.

Mr Aboubakar told the court that he had consulted his clients and they were willing to give the police seven days to finalize their investigations.

“As a demonstration of good faith and the confidence my clients have that they are innocent, despite no legal basis (in the application) we are willing to give them seven days,” said Mr Aboubakar.

The magistrate warned the prosecution that should they fail to complete the investigations in the next 20 days, she would free the suspects.

The case will be mentioned on April 4.