Wife and father of Riverside suicide bomber arrested in Mombasa

Wife and father of Riverside suicide bomber arrested in Mombasa

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and anti-terror unit have nabbed six more suspects, among them the wife and father to the suicide bomber in the Tuesday 14 Riverside terror attack.

Suhaila Mwalim Bakari, wife to Muhir Khalid Riziki and Khalid Jumaane Riziki, father to the 25-year old terrorist were apprehended in Majengo, Mombasa, and are being detained to explain their interactions with the attacker before and during the terror attack.

According to police, the 25-year-old suicide bomber, Muhir Khalid Riziki, sneaked back into the country on Sunday, through Elwak in Mandera County, headed to Takaba, before settling in Moyale town.

He then left for Nairobi, aboard a Moyale Raha bus, and as soon as he arrived in the city, he set off for Guango estate, Muchatha village, Kiambu County where Ali Salim Gichunge resided.

Gichunge was the Tuesday attack’s master planner, and hosted Muhir for a briefing on his role in the incident.

Muhir, who arrived earlier at the 14 Riverside drive, was tasked with blowing himself up outside the Secret Gardens Restaurant, trigger panic and anxiety, which would be a signal to his colleague attackers to join in, and spray with bullets, those fleeing from the scene. But fortunately a disconnect in the timing between Muhir and the other attackers enabled more people to escape.

Detectives say Muhir was recruited into the terror world by Ramadhan Hamisi, now in Somalia, after attending prayers at Musa mosque, in Mombasa that was for almost a decade, associated with radicalization, recruitment of Al Shabaab and religious extremism. Efforts to flush out the radical elements have been ongoing…

Police also raided Parkside Hotel in Kitui town and arrested 3 foreigners and one Kenyan, in connection to the Tuesday attack.

Detectives are however still scratching their heads over the whereabouts of Maryam Abdi, who is said to have ferried from Lamu to Nairobi through Mombasa, the weapons that were used on Tuesday.

Investigators camping in Lamu, Mombasa, Isiolo, Meru, Nairobi and Uasin Gishu, to nab more terror suspects and those linked to the attack 4 days ago.

Meanwhile, police arrested three terror suspects in Garissa as they attempted to cross into Kenya from Somalia. Police also recovered a cache of weapons from the suspects.

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dusitD2 14 Riverside Riverside terror attack

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