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Kenya arrests Muslim Cleric and others with ties to Somali militants
Dr. Adan Hassan Hillow, center-left, and Dr. Ali Omar Salim, center-right, appear in courtroom. (Photo: The Standard)
Kenyan police have arrested a Muslim cleric on a U.N. sanctions list over his alleged support of an al-Qaida linked militant group in neighboring Somalia, a rights activist said Friday.
The arrest signals the start of a Kenyan government clampdown on alleged supporters of the militants, who are blamed for a string of kidnappings on Kenyan soil. The Kenyan government sent troops into Somalia last weekend, saying they intend to attack the key city held by the insurgency and wipe them out as a fighting force.
In response, the militants have threatened to bomb Kenya and the government has tightened security.
Imam Hassan Mahat Omar was one of 10 people arrested Thursday, said Al-Amin Kimathi of the Kenya-based Muslim Human Rights Forum.
Two of those arrested in the swoop are doctors who run a clinic in the predominantly Somali neighborhood of Eastleigh. They were charged in court Friday for being members of Somalia’s al-Shabaab militant group, which is outlawed in Kenya.
Lawyer Chacha Mwita, who represented the two, said they are Kenyans and own the Afwan Medical clinic, which was accused in a July U.N. report of financially assisting al-Shabaab.
The two doctors, Dr. Ali Omar Salim and Dr. Adan Hassan Hillow, pleaded not guilty to charges of engaging in an organized criminal activity by being al-Shabaab members.
Chief Magistrate Gilbert Mutembei allowed police to hold the suspects in custody for two more days to complete investigations.
The other detainees did not appear in court.
