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Terror suspect facing murder charges in DRC

Friday, February 11th, 2022 07:00 | By
Terror suspect Salim Rashid Mohamed. PD/file

Salim Rashid Mohamed, a suspected Kenyan terrorist who was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) two weeks ago, will be extradited to Kenya after he is tried for murder in the Central Africa nation.

Mohammed, alias Chotora, is accused of murdering a soldier of the Armed Forces of DRC Congo.

When he was arrested, Mohamed was fighting for the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) which has been in operation since 1996 in DRC. The terror group is responsible for hundreds of deaths of civilians and soldiers in Congo and Uganda.

Earlier last week, the head of Anti-Terror Police Unit Coast region with Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives in Nairobi were in communication with the Interpol Counter Terrorism border operations, where they grilled Mohamed over his terrorism activities in Kenya, Uganda and DRC.

A recorded communication indicate that DRC authorities, through Interpol, will facilitate the return of Mohammed to Kenya.

He is being held incommunicado at the Goma Prison in Eastern Congo.

“There is ongoing communication on how to handle the extradition matter since he is facing murder charges in Congo. Talks are still on to have the suspect brought back to Mombasa for several matters to be heard and determined.

However, we are involving Interpol in a new agreement that will ensure that once his cases are determined in Mombasa, he will be extradited back to Congo to undergo trial for murder,”reads part of a police intelligence report.

During the interview, Mohamed revealed that he was under firm instructions from the terror group leader to rally people to convene in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to fight for Jihadism Mohamed was arrested by the anti-terror police in June 2019 at Moi International Airport, Mombasa while trying to flee the country. He was facing charges of being in possession of terrorism materials in Kwale County’s Ngomeni area.

He has since revealed that a bond of Sh1.5 million that facilitated his release by Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Rita Amwayi was paid by his associate in Uganda.

Documents show the suspect had attended court while out on bond until October last year when he disappeared, through Uganda to DRC Congo and had a brief stay in Mozambique where he fought for Al-Qaeda terror group.

The court issued warrant of arrest against the suspect after the prosecution moved to court in an application seeking for a warrant.

Mohammed, 27, has been identified in court documents as “a leader of ISIS” who is in communication with another suspected terrorist named Richard Lazarus Kivatsi who has since been arrested for allegedly planning to facilitate terrorists attacks in the country.

In 2018, Mohamed was deported from Turkey, where he had enrolled to study computer engineering at Istanbul Kultur University in Turkey after he attempted to cross over to Syria.

He, alongside Nasra Hyder Faiz, were charged in Shanzu Law Courts before then Principal Magistrate Diana Mochache.

The duo was acquitted in 2019 due to lack of evidence.

Court files indicate that the suspects were in November 2016 arrested as they crossed over the border to Syria and in February 2018 upon completion of investigations in Turkey they were deported and handed over to Kenyan authorities.

Turkish authorities did not, however, provide documentary evidence in court nor appear in person to testify in the matter where the duo had been charged with being members of an outlawed group and attempting to cross over to Syria to join ISIS.

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