Daily Nation Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Police raided the home of an Islamic preacher after a tip-off that it had weapons that were to be used to attack various public places in Mombasa, a court was told on Tuesday.Mr Aboud Rogo targeted a Catholic church, the Likoni Ferry and Nyali Bridge, the court heard.Testifying in an illegal possession of weapons case against Mr Rogo, Constable Samuel Kamiti, who took part in the raid, denied an assertion that police planted the weapons.Police said they recovered an AK-47 rifle, 113 rounds of ammunition, two hand grenades, two pistols and 102 detonators in Mr Rogo’s house in Kanamai, Kilifi County.
Head for operation
On Tuesday, the witness said the raid on the preacher’s homestead on January 29, this year, followed information given to the Kilifi District Criminal Investigations Officer.
Mr Kamiti said he was informed a day earlier that they would be headed for an “operation” and that they were to be joined by officers from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit from Nairobi.
He told the court that he never knew the officers from Nairobi and that he met them on the day of the “operation”. The witness said Anti-Terrorism Police Unit and Flying Squad officers from Mombasa were not involved in the raid.
“We did not have a search or arrest warrant, I found the accused on his way to a stone house,” said the witness upon cross-examination by defence lawyer Mbugua Mureithi.
The witness said 82 rounds of ammunition allegedly found during the raid were in a black paper bag which was not in court and that he was not aware who made the decision to dispose of it.
No photographs of the exhibits were taken, he said, adding that he had not seen any inventory either. The witness said they moved the accused from the scene to Kijipwa Police Station before receiving orders to take him to the provincial police headquarters.
The preacher, who is out on a Sh5 million bond with three sureties in similar amount, also faces four other counts of being in possession of firearms without certificates and another charge of being in possession of explosives.
The charge sheet states that the serial numbers of the AK-47 rifle and a Ceska pistol were invisible while the revolver’s serial number was 15813.The preacher was allegedly also found in possession of two hand grenades and 102 detonators in circumstances which raised presumption that the said explosives were intended to be used in a manner prejudicial to public order.He is alleged to have committed the offences on January 29, this year, at Kanamai village. The case was adjourned until October 15.
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