Wanted Terror Mastermind Arrested After 5 Year Search

KDF soldiers during one of their missions in Somalia.
KDF soldiers during one of their missions in Somalia.
File

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers have arrested wanted suspected Al Shabaab mastermind Abdullahi Dimbil Ahmed.

Dimbil is believed to have organised the 2015 Mandera bus raid which left two dead and others injured. 

In conjunction with security forces from Jubaland, the suspect was arrested outside the Jubaland Security Forces (JSF) camp in Southern Somalia.

A stock photo of a Mandera bus
A stock photo of a Mandera bus
File

Director of Counter-Terrorism, National Security and Intelligence Analysis David Goldman told the media that Dimbil is a resident of Kutulo area in Wajir County.

Wanted terror suspect Abdullahi Dimbil Ahmed
Wanted terror suspect Abdullahi Dimbil Ahmed
File

“Abdullahi Dimbil is a top Al Shabaab revenue officer. Intelligence reports confirm he is from Kutulo, Wajir County in North Eastern Kenya," he disclosed. 

He is said to be the financier of terror activities and held hundreds of thousands in revenue for the outlawed organisation. 

“He was also responsible for the disbursement of payments to fighters and funding cross-border terror attacks,” the Goldman-led team stated.

The Mandera bus attack was planned by Dimbli alongside Mohamed Osman, Mohamed Ahmed, and Abubakar Yunis.

The bus driver, Anis Abdinoor, stated in a past interview that the attackers were more than 30.

“When they reached us, they told us everybody should get out. They told me to get out, they beat me up. So when they were beating me up they were asking me questions. They asked me how many non-locals are you carrying in your vehicle? I told them I am carrying no non-locals in my vehicle,” Abdinoor recalled. 

An attempt by the attackers to single out Christian passengers was met with resistance from their Muslim counterparts.

Instead, the Muslims told the militants to kill them together or leave them alone.

A file photo of KDF soldiers during a patrol in Kotile town on the Garissa-Lamu-Somalia border, as part of the Linda Boni operation aimed at flushing out Al-Shabaab terrorists.
KDF soldiers during a patrol in Kotile town on the Garissa-Lamu-Somalia border, as part of the Linda Boni operation aimed at flushing out Al-Shabaab terrorists on August 20, 2020.
Photo
KDF Kenya

 

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