Terror suspect slapped with 15-year jail term after pleading guilty

A Kiambu court on Thursday, June 20, 2022, sentenced a terror suspect to 15 years in prison, on his own plea of guilt.

The accused Charles Kibet Rono alias Bashir appeared before Kahawa Chief Magistrate Diana Mochache.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Rono pleaded guilty to two charges including collection of information to commit a terrorism act, contrary to section 29 of the prevention of terrorism act and being in possession of terrorism materials contrary to section 30 of the same act.

The accused was handed the sentence a month after his arrest by detectives from DCI’s Anti-terror unit.

15 YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR TERROR SUSPECT

A man accused of engaging in terror activities has been sentenced to serve 15 years behind bars, on his own plea of guilt. In a sentence pronounced by Kahawa Chief magistrate Hon Diana Mochache, the accused was sentenced after pleading pic.twitter.com/xuqxigBOFr

— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) June 30, 2022

He was reportedly nabbed following an intelligence-led operation conducted in Kilgoris, Narok County, on May 18, 2022.

At the time of his arrest, DCI said, large volumes of terror-related literature and extremist propaganda recordings were recovered from the accused.

He confessed to detectives that he was planning to go to either Somalia or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for jihad-related activities.

“DCI thanks Hon Mochache for the sentence handed down on the accused. and hope that it serves as a deterrence to others harbouring similar ideas,” DCI said in a statement.

In May last year, security bosses in the country confirmed that Kenya was on high alert over possible terror attacks from Al-Shabaab.

Terror suspect surrenders

Last month, a terror suspect surrendered to the police in Kisii for fear of losing his life.

Evans Bakari Mose, 30, alleged that he was trailed by his former terror coordinator from Nakuru to execute plans on attacking political rallies in Kisii as a suicide bomber.

He told the officers that the man was planning to kill him after he refused to take part in the plan.

“The suspect alleges that he was trailed by his former terror coordinator from Nakuru who never discloses his identity but he knows his name as Fasih a Somali origin from Nakuru to plan on how to attack political rallies within Kisii County as a suicide bomber and if he declines he would be killed,” a police report read in part.

Bakari had earlier been arrested over terror links in Nakuru.

He was picked up by Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) and taken to Nairobi where he was charged in court and later released due to lack of evidence.