The father of terror suspect, Salim Rashid Mohamed also known as Chotara, who was arrested on Saturday, January 29 has appealed to the government to ensure he is brought back to Kenya to face trial.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, January 30, his father, Mohamed Rashid revealed that he learnt of his son's arrest while watching yesterday's prime time news and urged the government to intervene to ensure his safe return.
"We thank God that he is alive. My plea to the government is to help bring him to Kenya. He should come to Mombasa so that I see him and check that he is okay then they can do their work. He should be sentenced here," he noted.
Salim's father explained that he last saw his son in 2020 and none of his family members had a clue where he was, adding that they did not know whether he was alive or dead.
Further, Rashid described his son as a brilliant boy who aced his exams from primary to secondary and as someone who loved his religion. He revealed that he was ready to take him to any school that he desired.
"I did not know where he was neither did his mother or siblings. Dealing with the pain of his disappearance was difficult because we did not know about his whereabouts.
"This boy went to the best schools and he performed well. He is a humble boy who loved his religion. We don't know what got into him until things got to the point where they are now," he remarked.
Salim was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Saturday, January 29 by the local authorities after a video of him in a local village in DRC went viral.
According to preliminary reports, the suspect was headed to South Africa with his mission remaining unclear.
In November 2021, the police released a list of the five most-wanted terror suspects placing a bounty of Ksh10 million on each of the suspects.
They pleaded with the public to volunteer information that may lead to their arrest stating that they were dangerous and armed.
Chotara was reportedly being sought over terrorism charges and is suspected to have joined the Islamic State known as ISIS or Daesh and had been destined for Mozambique.
