Wednesday, June 12, 2013
A
Kenyan terror suspect charged alongside British national Jermaine Grant
and two others in Mombasa has escaped and joined the al Shabaab terror
group in Somalia.
Fuad Abubakar Manswab, who hails from Majengo area in Mombasa, is
among key al Shabaab leaders launching terror attacks against Kenya.
He was arrested by anti-terror police unit officers alongside Grant
and two others as they planned to detonate explosives in Mombasa on
December 20, 2011.
They were charged with being in possession of explosives, being
members of an organised group (al Shabaab) and preparing to commit a
felony.
Abubakar jumped bail in November 2011 after he and suspects Grant’s
wife Warder Breikh Islam and Frank Ngala were granted a bail of Sh20
million each and one surety.
Ngala remains in custody after failing to raise the bond. Warder and
Abubakar, who are both Kenyans, raised the bond but the latter
disappeared after the first hearing of the case.
Senior officers from the anti-terrorism unit have confirmed that Abubakar entered Somalia at a border point in Lamu this year.
A senior ATPU officer told the Star Abubakar is suspected to be
coordinating the terror activities in the country by funding and
training youth to fight in Somalia and launch attacks in Kenya.
Abubkar an ally of Jermaine Grant, were working with fugitive
Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of London Underground bomber Jermaine
Lindsay as financier of Alshabab terror group in East Africa..
“He is very dangerous but we are being alert to ensure that he
doesn’t cross into the country although he continues to pose a major
security threat in the country,” said the ATPU officer .
It is believed they develop plans to conduct terrorist attacks inside
Kenya and deploying several operational cells for the purpose of
launching attacks from within Kenya.
According to multiple sources within the police cycle Abubakar
escaped police raid on October 28 last year where police gunned down
terror suspects Omar Faraj, 30, and Titus Nabiswa, 27, a Muslim convert
from Western Kenya at Majengo area in Mombasa.
Those close to the operation said Abubakar escaped with bullet wounds
after he jumped through the window during the highly coordinated raid
conducted by ATPU officers.
“We heard information that Abubakar was among the suspects plotting
terror attacks within Mombasa, we raided and managed to kill the two and
recovered a cache of weapons,” according to head of ATPU Boniface
Mwaniki.
He was shot and wounded in the shoulder during the shootout but he managed to escape.
Meanwhile police have linked the grenade attacks that almost occurred
simultaneously in Mombasa and Nairobi’s California estate on Sunday
where almost 20 people were injured.
Similar explosive devices, a Russian Made hand grenades were lobbed
to worshippers in Likoni and Pedestrians which is an indication that the
same group was behind it.
Coast Police boss Aggrey Adoli has said that the team of officers has
been put together to look into obtaining crucial evidence leading to
the apprehension of the two suspects who carried out the attack on the
Earthquake Miracle Ministry Church in Likoni.
Adoli further reminded Coast residents that the ban on crusades past 5:30 pm that was issued last year is still in effect.
He urged residents to adhere to the directives to ensure their own safety and enable the police to protect them,” said Adoli.