The Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) in Malindi have applied in court to hold a prominent Ngomeni businessman and philanthropist Omar Msham Ismael for 14 more days to complete investigations on alleged terrorist activities.
Msham was arrested by police at his Ngomeni home on Friday night after he was found with several photocopies of national identity cards.
Among the matters under investigation are being a member of a terrorist group contrary to the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012, human trafficking contrary to the Counter Human Trafficking Act and soliciting support for the commission of a terrorist act.
He is also being investigated for facilitating the recruitment of members of a terrorist group and operating a non -governmental organization without registration and certificate contrary to the NGO coordination act of 1990.
Malindi ATPU Chief Inspector Nicholas Waringa told Malindi Resident Magistrate Olga Onalo that if released, the suspect might interfere with investigations since he was influential.
However, his advocate Abubakar Yusuf challenged Waringa to state the preferred charges before seeking to hold his client for more days.
“For an application like this to succeed there must be a holding charge and none has been brought to this court. It is clear the police want to use the Terrorism Prevention Act 2012 to deny my client his rights,” he told the court.
Msham told the court that he had volunteered to assist the police with investigations.
“When they were interrogating me I told them that I help the community by educating children and feeding them and they asked where I get the money from,” he said, adding that some people were not happy with his philanthropic ways and were out to use the police to fight him,”he stated.
