Police in Mombasa have been given 21 days to continue detaining two people suspected of recruiting young people into joining terrorist groups in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hussein Yusuf Mrafi and Ali Mwalimu Mwinyi are suspected of recruiting for ISIS and al-Shabaab. They were arraigned in Mombasa Magistrate Court on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
The charges against them include recruiting members for a terrorist group in violation of Section 13 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012.
According to police working on the case, Mrafi (27 years old) and Mwinyi (21 years old) may be part of a network that recruits young people to join terrorist organizations in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It was shown in court that the suspects used the teachings of the late controversial Mombasa preacher, Sheikh Aboud Rogo, to radicalize people into joining the terrorist group.
On August 27, 2012, unknown assailants assassinated Rogo, who was accused of being an extremist preacher and al-Shabab recruiter, on the Mombasa-Malindi route.
Furthermore, the court was informed that the two suspects have ties with people who have already joined al-Shabaab, purportedly persuaded by radical teachings they found on online platforms that included Aboud Rogo's talks.
The investigating officer requested an extension of 30 days to complete the investigation, which included forensic analysis of three phones seized from one of the suspects.
Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo granted a 21-day extension to complete the probe, with the next hearing scheduled for May 7, 2024.