A man wanted over alleged terror activities in Mombasa and Nairobi surrendered to the police in Mombasa.
He surrendered on Monday with a copy of his Identity Card in a bid to prove he is the man police claim to be looking for and was grilled by anti-terrorism police unit detectives before being driven to Nairobi for further interrogation.
Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli and Coast PCIO Ambrose Munyasia each acknowledged receiving the suspect but declined to give details of their discussions with him. Both feigned ignorance about his ID papers and were not categorical about where the suspect was born or how old he is.
Hassan immediately proclaimed that he is a victim of mistaken identity alleging that he was “shocked” when the government published his picture with information associating him with the extremist Al Shabaab militia of Somalia.
The man who police identified as Hassan Omondi Albana Owiti suggested that police could be confusing him with someone with a name similar to his.
“People can have similar names and that is why I have come to the police to confirm whether it is me they are looking for,” he said in impetuous Kiswahili accent.
Hassan Omondi Albana Owiti who police described on Sunday as a wanted man alleged to be planning terror acts in Nairobi and Mombasa walked to the Coast Provincial Police Aggrey Adoli’s office accompanied by members of the Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI).
“I have never been associated with committing terror activities and that is why I surrendered to the police after they released names and pictures of the four wanted men to face charges of terrorism,” Owiti told the police in Kiswahili, occasionally switching to English.
Police spokesman Mr Eric Kiraithe while releasing the names of the four wanted men said they are believed to have been involved in various acts of terror.
Owiti alongside Ali Masadiq, Yassin Olunga alias Ndung’u and Shaban Namusenda Makotse are said to have joined Somali’s militant group- Al Shaabab.
However, Owiti who was in a joyful mood and kept on talking on his cell phone said he is a law binding Kenyan.