A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for their roles in aiding the 2019 terrorist attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi, an assault that left 21 people dead and shook the nation.
Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali and Mohamed Abdi Ali, both Kenyan nationals, were convicted of providing crucial support to the attackers, including transferring funds and supplying falsified identity documents.
The court determined that their actions directly facilitated the assault, which was later claimed by the Somali-based militant group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda.
The ruling follows a six-year investigation led by Kenyan anti-terrorism units, which uncovered a network linking the attackers on the ground to a broader network of financial and logistical operatives.
Prosecutors presented evidence tracing money transfers and forged documents that enabled the attackers to plan and execute the deadly operation.
The January 15, 2019, attack began with explosions and gunfire at the upscale DusitD2 hotel and business complex in Nairobi’s Westlands district.
The siege lasted several hours, leaving 21 civilians dead and many more injured before Kenyan security forces neutralized the five attackers.
Al-Shabab said the assault was in retaliation for Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia, where the East African nation has been part of an African Union-led operation since 2011 aimed at combating the militant group.
The DusitD2 massacre is one of several high-profile al-Shabab attacks on Kenyan soil.
In 2013, 67 people were killed in a four-day siege at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall.
Two years later, in 2015, 147 students were massacred at Garissa University in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Kenya’s history.
The conviction of the two accomplices marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s ongoing efforts to dismantle al-Shabab’s networks within its borders.
The sentencing also sends a stern warning to those who aid or abet terrorism, reinforcing the state’s commitment to justice and national security.
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