Mother of Dusit terror attack mastermind fights for bail

Sakina Mariam Abdalla, the mother of the mastermind of Dusit terror attack Ali Salim Gichunge, has been charged with failure to disclose to police the whereabouts of her son.

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi, Ms Abdalla was accused that on diverse dates between 2015 and 2019 at Kula Mawe in Isiolo County, she declined to disclose information pertaining the whereabouts of Mr Gichunge.

'NOT GUILTY'

The prosecution said the information which was within her knowledge would have been used to prevent the commission of the attack at the DusitD2 hotel complex on January 15.

Ms Abdalla pleaded not guilty.

Her application for bail will be heard Friday afternoon and the prosecution is expected to oppose her release.

They argue she is likely to abscond and flee from the country.

A scrutiny of her mobile phone's call data confirmed that her phone number was in constant communications with several phone numbers located in Somalia, according to the prosecution.

Investigators believe she was communicating with her son.

Ms Abdalla was arrested last month following the terror attack which left 21 people dead.

She told police that her son was first employed by one Mama Sammy as a cybercafé attendant, earning Sh5,000 per month, within Isiolo Town before he moved to Shams Cyber in the same town.

MOGADISHU

Gichunge later met another man, who promised him a cybercafé job in Mombasa, she added. But, after he left in 2014, he went underground and only called her in 2016, to inform her that he had landed a scholarship in Mogadishu to study Islamic Religious Education.

“That’s the last she heard of him until this attack happened,” the court document indicated, adding that the detectives needed more time to also examine some electronic goods that were confiscated from Ms Abdalla.