Two mobile phones, a sim card and a laptop have been useful to investigators in the search of the terrorists that aided the Dusit attack at Riverside.
Although damaged, the sim card led to the first person of interest named in court as Erik. His national identity card is said to have registered 11 other sim cards that guided the investigators to arrest two taxi operators, an M-PESA agent and a Canadian national.
According to the Standard, it is still unclear whether the Erik referred in the suit papers is the same Erik Kinyanjui who police were looking for in Ngechu area, Kiambu.
Joel Ng’ang’a Wainaina was the first taxi driver in court. Investigators found him around MP Shah Hospital a day after the attack had happened.
In an affidavit presented before Milimani Senior Principle Magistrate Martha Mutuku, Policewoman Monicah Githaiga revealed that the information obtained from Ng’ang’a and other people revealed the taxi driver had ferried one of the attackers to various destinations around Nairobi.
“All respondents were arrested due to their possible involvement in aiding and abetting the terrorist attack that took place on January 15 and 16 at the Dusit Hotel Complex Riverside area in Nairobi County,” Githaiga stated.
Ali Salim Gichunge’s (an attacker) home in Guango estate, Kiambu county was also known to the investigators through the car. Investigators also traced Gichunge’s wife, Violet Kemunto Omwoyo.
It is then that they took Gichunge’s ID which led to three mobile phone numbers and Kemunto’s which traced several numbers to Somali.
Oliver Kanyango, the second driver, is also accused of transporting one of the attackers on January 17, 2018 in Nairobi. When asked about his whereabouts on the said day, he allegedly gave contradictory information of how he moved from Gigiri to the scene of the attack.
Detectives cite that he also went to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where he revealed he had taken some of his clients.
CCTV cameras also led to Osman Ibrahim who met one of the attackers at Riverside Mall on January 8. He was arrested on January 17 at Two Rivers Mall.
Erik’s phone numbers also led to an M-PESA agent, Gladys Kaari Justus. She is said to have been supplying money to the attackers. Another number from a person identified as Peter led investigators to a Canadian national Guleid Abdihakim. He was also arrested at Suncity in Eastleigh.
The five will be held for 30 days to allow investigations to be done.
