Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Muslim preacher charged in Nairobi court with incitement to kill
An Islamic preacher who police linked to the Garissa University
College attack was on Monday charged in Nairobi with inciting Muslims to
kill non-Muslims.
Hassan Mahat Omar faces a 30-year jail term if convicted.
The prosecution said he committed the offence on or before March 6, 2015 at Al-Hidaya Mosque in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate.
The
offensive utterances — although not included in the particulars of the
charge sheet which was read out in court — are allegedly contained in a
compact disk titled Sheikh Hassan and which the police say the preacher
personally published.
Mr Omar is facing another case in
which he is charged alongside his wife Fordosa Mohammed with being
found in possession of two hand grenades.
The case is pending judgment at the Milimani Law Courts.
On Monday, prosecutor Daniel Karori oppose his release on bail, saying he was a terror suspect.
“He
faces a serious charge of inciting Muslims to kill non-Muslims and
another case of being found in possession of explosives, of which point
to the involvement of the accused person in offences against the public.
“We
also ask the court to take judicial notice of the numerous terrorist
attacks that target non-Muslims and deny him bail,” Mr Karuri submitted.
ARRESTED A MONTH AGO
Mr
Omar was arrested a month ago and detained for investigations over his
alleged involvement in the Garissa attack in which 148 people, including
142 students, were killed.
The police had claimed he
financed one of the worst terrorist attacks in the country and that he
had been in “constant” communication with Mohammed Kuno, a leader of
Al-Shabaab and the suspected mastermind of the Garissa attack.
He had also been accused of “radicalising” the youth and facilitating their exodus to Somalia for recruitment into Al-Shabaab.
His
lawyer Mbugua Mureithi on Monday protested that the present charge was
not related to what he had been arrested and detained for a month ago.
“There
was also an averment that he had obtained his identity card
fraudulently but the matter has been through a full trial at the Chief
Magistrate’s Court in Kibera, where he was acquitted in 2012,” Mr Mbugua
told the court, while opposing the prosecution’s request to have Omar
detained till the new case is heard and determined.
The
lawyer said the present charge was defective as “no verbatim statement
of incitement” was stated neither has Mr Omar been proven to be the
maker of the offensive CD.
Senior Principal Magistrate
Grace Mumasi deferred the ruling on whether the suspect may be released
on bond or not to Friday, May 22.
The case has been fixed for hearing on July 30 and 31.
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