Tuesday, September 10, 2013
A man who was arrested in Laikipia County on suspicion of being a
terrorist, on Monday told a Nyahururu court that he worked as a mason
in Somalia.
Mr Samuel Wainaina Wanjiru, 20, denied having been a member of Al-Shabaab.
The accused was arrested in Mwitiku village on Sunday night, after locals reported that there was a suspicious man in the area.
During
the police raid, several items including military uniforms resembling
those worn by the British Army and Somali soldiers were found.
But the accused said that he bought the uniforms from a second-hand clothes dealer in Nairobi.
A
red beret and two identity cards that did not bear his name and a
University of Nairobi student card were among other items found.
Principal
magistrate Denis Mikoyan directed that Mr Wanjiru be remanded in
Kinamba police for three days to allow police to complete
investigations.
This is after Laikipia West district
criminal investigations officer Bernard Kwarat, asked the court to allow
anti-terrorism police time to interrogate him.
Mr
Wanjiru is alleged to have bragged that he feared no one not even the
police and that he was from Somalia on a mission. He is said to have
bragged after a scuffle with another man.
He was also accused of being on a mission to recruit Kenyan youth to join Al-Shabaab
Mr Kwarat
said upon interrogation the suspect admitted to have visited several
towns in Somalia among them Bula Hawa, Baidoa and Doro-which are
occupied by Al-Shabaab militia.
“We have reason to believe he is either a member of Al-Shabaab or has received military training in Somalia,” the DCIO said.
The
magistrate also ordered that the accused be taken to hospital during
the three days’ custody stay after he complained of throat pain.
He will be returned to court on Thursday.