Garissa University attack: Court frees one suspect, 4 have case to answer

One of the five suspects charged in connection with the April 2015 Garissa University terror attack was on Tuesday acquitted as the court ruled that four of his co-accused have a case to answer.

Magistrate Francis Andayi ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against four of the accused persons; Mohamed Ali Abdikar, Hassan Aden Hassan, Sahal Diriye, and Rashid Charles Mberesero.

The accused were jointly and individually charged with 156 counts including conspiracy to commit a terrorism act, following the April 2, 2015 attack that claimed the lives of 148 people, majority of them students.

The court set free Osman Abdi Dagane, who was a security guard at the university and had been arrested on claims that he colluded with perpetrators of the attack.

Dagane had been accused that he was seen taking photographs at the scene and had been in communication with the terrorists.

In acquitting him, Magistrate Andayi ruled that the person who claimed to have seen him taking photos was never brought to court and that there was no evidence showing he communicated with the terrorists. The photos he was also alleged to have taken were also never produced in court.

The case was set for mentioning on February 13, 2019.