Latest news with #HusseinMohammedAbdile
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two jailed for 30 years over 2019 Kenya hotel attack
A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding al-Shabab fighters who were behind a deadly attack in Nairobi that left 21 people dead in 2019. On Thursday, Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache ruled that Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali played a critical role by helping two of the attackers escape from a refugee camp using fake identity cards. The pair also provided financial assistance to the group. 'Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities,' the judge said during sentencing, stressing that their support made the attack possible. 'The convicts may not have physically wielded the weapons that caused harm to the victims, but their facilitation directly enabled attackers who were heavily armed with guns, grenades and suicide vests,' Kavedza said. 'This was not a crime with isolated harm; 21 lives were lost,' she added, acknowledging statements from survivors about their ongoing psychological struggles. 'The emotional scars of the attack run deep,' she said. Abdile and Ali were convicted last month for facilitating and conspiring to commit a 'terrorist' act. Both men denied the charges and now have 14 days to assault on the upmarket DusitD2 complex in the Kenyan capital began on January 15, 2019, when gunmen stormed the compound and opened fire. Security forces launched an operation that lasted more than 12 hours. The government later announced that all the attackers had been killed. Al-Shabab, an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility, saying the assault was in retaliation for then-United States President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The siege was the first major attack in Nairobi since the 2013 Westgate mall massacre, which killed 67. In 2015, al-Shabab also attacked Garissa University, killing 148 people. Since Westgate, high-end venues in the capital have ramped up security, including vehicle and pedestrian checks. The DusitD2 complex, like Westgate, catered to wealthy Kenyans and foreign nationals, groups often targeted by al-Shabab. The Somalia-based group has repeatedly struck inside Kenya, aiming to force the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia, where they are part of a regional force battling the rebellion.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kenyan court sentences two men to 30 years in prison for aiding 2019 hotel attack
Hussein Mohammed Abdile attends a court session where he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of aiding a 2019 attack by al Qaeda-linked militants at Dusit hotel that killed 21 people in 2019, at the Kahawa Law Courts, Nairobi, Kenya June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Mohamed Abdi Ali attends a court session where he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of aiding a 2019 attack by al Qaeda-linked militants at Dusit hotel that killed 21 people in 2019, at the Kahawa Law Courts, Nairobi, Kenya June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Kenyan court sentences two men to 30 years in prison for aiding 2019 hotel attack NAIROBI - A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding a 2019 attack by militant members of the al Shabaab group on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people. Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were convicted in May on charges of facilitation and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism for helping the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group. They had pleaded not guilty. Al Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in Kenya to try to pressure the government to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Somalia, where al Shabaab is waging an insurgency to try to seize power. Prosecutors said Abdile and Ali helped two of the attackers obtain forged identity cards that allowed them to escape from a refugee camp and provided financial support. Abdile and Ali have 14 days to appeal their sentences. Delivering her ruling on Thursday, Judge Diana Mochache said that without their involvement, the attack may not have happened. "Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities," Mochache said. In the January 2019 attack, several gunmen stormed the Dusit complex in Nairobi, triggering an assault and siege that lasted more than 12 hours. The Kenyan government said at the time that it had killed all the attackers. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Two jailed for 30 years over 2019 Kenya hotel attack
A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding al-Shabab fighters who were behind a deadly attack in Nairobi that left 21 people dead in 2019. On Thursday, Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache ruled that Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali played a critical role by helping two of the attackers escape from a refugee camp using fake identity cards. The pair also provided financial assistance to the group. 'Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities,' the judge said during sentencing, stressing that their support made the attack possible. 'The convicts may not have physically wielded the weapons that caused harm to the victims, but their facilitation directly enabled attackers who were heavily armed with guns, grenades and suicide vests,' Kavedza said. 'This was not a crime with isolated harm; 21 lives were lost,' she added, acknowledging statements from survivors about their ongoing psychological struggles. 'The emotional scars of the attack run deep,' she said. Abdile and Ali were convicted last month for facilitating and conspiring to commit a 'terrorist' act. Both men denied the charges and now have 14 days to appeal. The assault on the upmarket DusitD2 complex in the Kenyan capital began on January 15, 2019, when gunmen stormed the compound and opened fire. Security forces launched an operation that lasted more than 12 hours. The government later announced that all the attackers had been killed. Al-Shabab, an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility, saying the assault was in retaliation for then-United States President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The siege was the first major attack in Nairobi since the 2013 Westgate mall massacre, which killed 67. In 2015, al-Shabab also attacked Garissa University, killing 148 people. Since Westgate, high-end venues in the capital have ramped up security, including vehicle and pedestrian checks. The DusitD2 complex, like Westgate, catered to wealthy Kenyans and foreign nationals, groups often targeted by al-Shabab. The Somalia-based group has repeatedly struck inside Kenya, aiming to force the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia, where they are part of a regional force battling the rebellion.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Kenyan court sentences two men to 30 years in prison for aiding 2019 hotel attack
NAIROBI (Reuters) -A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding a 2019 attack by militant members of the al Shabaab group on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people. Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were convicted in May on charges of facilitation and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism for helping the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group. They had pleaded not guilty. Al Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in Kenya to try to pressure the government to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Somalia, where al Shabaab is waging an insurgency to try to seize power. Prosecutors said Abdile and Ali helped two of the attackers obtain forged identity cards that allowed them to escape from a refugee camp and provided financial support. Abdile and Ali have 14 days to appeal their sentences. Delivering her ruling on Thursday, Judge Diana Mochache said that without their involvement, the attack may not have happened. "Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities," Mochache said. In the January 2019 attack, several gunmen stormed the Dusit complex in Nairobi, triggering an assault and siege that lasted more than 12 hours. The Kenyan government said at the time that it had killed all the attackers.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Kenyan court sentences two men to 30 years in prison for aiding 2019 hotel attack
NAIROBI, June 19 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for aiding a 2019 attack by militant members of the al Shabaab group on a hotel and office complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people. Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were convicted in May on charges of facilitation and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism for helping the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group. They had pleaded not guilty. Al Shabaab regularly carries out attacks in Kenya to try to pressure the government to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Somalia, where al Shabaab is waging an insurgency to try to seize power. Prosecutors said Abdile and Ali helped two of the attackers obtain forged identity cards that allowed them to escape from a refugee camp and provided financial support. Abdile and Ali have 14 days to appeal their sentences. Delivering her ruling on Thursday, Judge Diana Mochache said that without their involvement, the attack may not have happened. "Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities," Mochache said. In the January 2019 attack, several gunmen stormed the Dusit complex in Nairobi, triggering an assault and siege that lasted more than 12 hours. The Kenyan government said at the time that it had killed all the attackers.
