Mombasa court acquits Mpeketoni terror attack suspects

A businessman and a matatu driver facing 60 counts of murder in relation to the Mpeketoni terror attack have been acquitted of murder charges by a Mombasa High Court.

Judge Martin Muya ruled in the favour of Mahadi Swaleh Mahadi alias Jesus and Dyna Salim Suleima saying the prosecution failed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the two were involved in the Mpeketoni killings.

Mahadi and Salim appeared before the court a month ago and argued that they were ‘sacrificial lambs’ and that their prosecution was as a result of political pressure.

The charges they were facing are said to have been committed on the night of June 15th and 16th, 2014 in Hindi Location, Lamu where more than 60 people were killed in a suspected terror attack.

In January 2016, the High Court in Mombasa ruled that the two Mpeketoni terror attack suspects, who had been charged with 60 counts of murder, had a case to answer.

High Court Judge Martin Muya had said there was sufficient evidence to charge Dyna Salim Suleiman and Mahadi Suleiman Mahadi with the murder of 60 people during the July 2014 Mpeketoni terror attack in Lamu County.

The Mpeketoni and Kaisairi attacks started at 8:30PM on June 2014 as locals were busy watching a football World Cup match.

Residents said the gunmen hijacked a van and used it to attack various locations across Mpeketoni that were known to have tourists who passed by before crossing to Lamu.

The first place that was attacked was the police station where five police vehicles were burnt.

Witnesses said gunmen, who had their faces covered, threw explosives at the local police station before they entered and stole weapons.