Kenyan arrested in Tanzania charged with terrorism in Nairobi
A Kenyan man arrested in Tanzania was charged with terrorism.
Shida Msanzu who has been charged a second time with terror-related activities was Monday April 24 accused of collecting information to conduct a terrorist act.
He was also accused of being in possession of items connected to commission of a terrorism act.
He appeared before senior principal magistrate Boaz Ombewa at Kahawa West law court.
He was also charged with being a member of a terrorist group.
It was alleged that he professed a munasireen in 2022, meaning that he is a member and a fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The information is contained in his Facebook account.
The court heard that he was arrested on April 3 at Bukoba, Tanzania, with a mobile phone containing extremist videos.
He denied the three charges.
Principal prosecution counsel James Machira urged the magistrate not to release Msanzu on bail as he is likely to bolt and is a repeat offender.
Machira argued that terror charges are grave and the accused is likely not to appear in court if released. The court will rule on the bail issue.
Officials said Msanzu was arrested by Tanzanian authorities and handed over to Anti-Terror Police Unit ATPU on April 10.
The 28-year-old was arrested while trying to cross over to neighbouring Uganda, where it is believed he wanted to join the Islamic State in Central African Province (ISCAP) in Congo.
Police believe that he crossed over to Tanzania from Kenya on December 29, 2022.
He stayed in the country planning his move until he was arrested.
Investigators also believe that he was in constant contact with other militants from Somalia, Mozambique and DRC.
He was arrested by a multi-agency team in Takaungu Vuma, Kilifi county, on May 26, 2017.
Msanzu is not new to court. He was arraigned in court in 2022, where he was charged with four counts of radicalisation, possession of articles connected to the commission of terrorism acts, collection of information for al Shabaab and being a member of a terror group.
He denied all four charges and the Malindi court freed him on December 16, 2022, for lack of enough evidence.
However, police believe that throughout his trial, Msanzu was still harbouring plans to join terrorist entities either in Somalia, Mozambique or the DRC.
This is demonstrated by the way he left the country two weeks later after his acquittal.
Msanzu attended Vuma Primary School and later joined Kwajuni Polytechnic where he studied electrical courses up to Grade 3.
In late 2012 he enrolled at Majlis Maarifaa Madrassa in Kikambala Kilifi county for madrassa classes. During that time, he started sharing radical content through his Facebook page by influencing others to join terror groups and make the journey to Somalia.
Msanzu joined a long list of terror suspects who were granted bond or acquitted by the courts for lack of enough evidence and later travelled out of the country to join the terror groups as foreign fighters.
They include Salim Rashid Mohamed, aka Chotara, who was in early 2017 arrested while trying to cross over to Syria while a student at Istanbul Kultur University from where he was deported.
On arrival. Chotara was charged at Shanzu law court but acquitted for lack of evidence.
Later in May 2019 he was arrested at Moi International Airport en route to Syria through Sudan.
He was arraigned in court and was released on a Sh3 million bond on condition he would appear in court.
He jumped bail and travelled to the DRC through the Busia border point. Chotara was later arrested in 2022.
Alfan Juma, a close associate of Chotara was arrested in December 2018 in Elwak trying to cross over to Somalia.
He was presented in Shanzu law court and later released on bond from Shimo La Tewa in 2018.
The suspect never appeared again in court as he was reported to have fled to join Daesh in DRC.
Balicha Bajaja Abakunde alias Gobu was arrested on July 25, 2018, and charged with being in possession of a firearm without a license and unlawful presence in Kenya.
He was also found in possession of a Kenyan ID when he was granted a bond of Sh300,000 or cash bail of Sh200,000 plus one Kenyan surety.
He was to appear in court for a hearing on August 27, 2018, but never showed up and his whereabouts traced him back to al Shabaab headquarters in Jilib, Somalia.
Trevor Ndwiga Nyaga aka Jamal Idris was another terror suspect who jumped bail.
He was arrested in March 2019 but released and was re-arrested in November 2019 where he was arraigned in December 2019 to answer charges of intending to conduct a terror attack in Nairobi.
He was released with a Sh2 million surety and later fled to Somalia to join al Shaabab in September 2021.
Police say terror threats are still rife hence the continued need for vigilance.
Kenya has been a victim of terrorism in the past when dozens were killed and others wounded.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki says authorities have thwarted dozens of planned terror attacks.
Source » the-star
