Alarm as Kenyan businessman is suspected of arming Al shabaab
Security agencies are investigating a Kenyan businessman of Somali origin over suspicion of providing arms to the Somalia based Al shabaab terrorist group that has renewed a series of horrific attacks on Kenyan soil days after the president William Ruto administration re-opened borders after 12 years’ closure.
Situational intelligence security briefs link Zakariya Kamal Sufi Abashiek to the purchase of military equipment from China on behalf of Al shabaab and alleged facilitation of its shipment to Somalia.
The shipment seized at the Mogadishu Port contains military equipment, explosives and other accessories and is believed to have been purchased on diverse dates between April and May 2023.
Among the weaponry confiscated include five high specification JS crop drones with the capacity to carry 10 litres of liquid 500 metres above sea level and cover 10 hectares, rifle scopes, rolls of material for making military uniforms, and 3,000 metres of canvas packed in 30-metre rolls for making tents.
Other items include 18-night vision goggles and swimming goggles, 18 voice recording pens, 18 spy goggles and watches, military grade two-way radios and helmets, ghillie suits (camouflage), portable solar panels and 20 torches and batteries.
Following the interception of the cargo, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through its Mombasa office, has requested the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to issue a legal assistance request to enable the ODPP’s senior counsel and investigating officers from the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) to visit China and Somalia to collect evidence and statements.
Somalia’s State Minister for Defence, Mohamed Ali Haga, announced the seizure on May 19, saying the agency had discovered the cache of weapons at Mogadishu’s port and airport.
The cargo of military hardware and explosives was discovered hidden in containers disguised as legitimate goods, Haga said, adding that more weapons were also seized at Mogadishu’s Aden Ade International Airport, leading to the arrest of 10 people linked to a smuggling network.
According to documents filed in court in Shanzu, Mr Kamal was arrested on April 28 at Mama Ngina Water Front in Mombasa by ATPU officers on charges of being an agent of a terrorist group, before being transferred to Kilindini Port Police. On May 2, he was taken to Shanzu Magistrate’s Court where ATPU was granted 10 days detain him pending conclusion of the investigations.
Before his arrest, ATPU received information in mid-April that Kamal was providing logistical support to the Al shabaab terrorist organisation in Somalia and was in the process of transporting a suspicious container from China to Somalia.
Information gathered from his mobile phone and his confession to a multi-agency team revealed that he had sent container number MSMU826114145G1 to a shipping company bound for Somalia. This is the same container that Somali authorities intercepted and found the military gear.
The suspect has, however been released on a Sh1 million bond after spending over one month in police custody as investigators probed his role in the shipment of military equipment to Somalia.
Kamal was arrested in April at the Mama Ngina Water Front in Mombasa County on suspicion that he had colluded with the terror group to purchase three containers of military equipment and explosives from China which he was to ship to Mogadishu, Somalia. One of the containers was recovered while the whereabouts of the other two are unknown.
According to documents filed before Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Yusuf Shikanda, Kamal is facing several charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act including belonging to a terrorist group and providing property for the commission of terrorist acts.
Investigating officer, Corporal Gideon Wambua, filed an affidavit in which he accused Kamal of buying an assortment of equipment said to have originated from China that he shipped to Mogadishu. The accused is believed to have spent his schooling years in China.
Corporal Wambua told the Court that two containers were shipped to Mogadishu while one of them was intercepted at the port of entry disguised as normal goods.
The five high specification drones are capable of carrying 10 litres of liquid at a height of 500 metres above sea level, rifle scopes, material rolls for making military uniforms, 3000 metres of canvas for making tents, portable and foldable solar panels, military-grade walkie talkies and camouflage suits.
The shipment also contained 18 pieces each of night vision goggles voice recording pens, spy watches, spy glasses, swimming goggles,20 flashlights and batteries and military-grade helmets.
Investigators are still probing Kamal’s activities, especially in light of what they say is evidence received in April – May that he was offering logistical support to Al Shabaab in Somalia.
Detectives are also investigating his phone record, M-Pesa and bank transactions as they seek to unravel the mystery of the Kenyan allegedly supporting Al Shabaab and the whereabouts of the other two containers he is believed to have shipped to Somalia.
