A British terror suspect linked to the main mastermind of the 2013 Westgate Mall attack, Jermaine Grant, will remain in prison after his bid for release was rejected.
Grant, who has been in custody over terrorism-related charges, had moved to be freed but failed to convince the court, which opted to extend his incarceration.
Grant — accused of being an associate of terror mastermind Samantha Lewthwaite — has been in a UK prison since August, when he was deported from Kenya, and has spent 13 years behind bars for terror offences in Africa.
He was recalled to prison for breaching licence conditions over a 1999 rape conviction and was automatically put up for parole last month, but his release was denied, according to the Mirror.
Now, unless he is deemed fit to be freed, he could remain behind bars until 2027, despite a document making no reference to allegations that he was part of a terror cell.
According to court documents from the UK, the panel reviewing his release was satisfied that his release would be a risk to the general public and consequently directed a later review of his release.
"After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and on licence and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public,'' the court papers read in part.
''The panel considered that Mr Grant was appropriately located in custody, where outstanding levels of risk could be addressed. He will be eligible for another parole review in due course.''
The accused was deported from Kenya at the request of British authorities after he broke the terms of his licence and travelled to Kenya.
During his apprehension in Kenya, he was found with chemicals, switches and a bomb-making manual at his home in Mombasa.
The White Widow, an associate of Grant, remains at large despite her arrest warrants and in 2021, it was claimed she was fighting with jihadis in Yemen.
The Westgate Mall terrorist attack in Nairobi took place between September 21 and 24, 2013, when four gunmen from the Somali militant group al-Shabaab stormed the upscale shopping centre. The militants launched a deadly siege that lasted four days, resulting in the deaths of at least 67 people, including civilians and security personnel, and injuring over 150 others.
Security forces eventually ended the standoff by killing the attackers during a rescue operation. Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack, citing it as retaliation for Kenya’s military operations in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
