Kenya:Westgate terror suspects to know their fate next week

By Samuel Ouma

The two suspects implicated in the 2013 Westgate Mall terror attack will be sentenced next week, announce the Nairobi High Court.

The sentencing was slated for today (October 22) but has been postponed to Friday next week.

The case was adjourned after the prosecution failed to produce a pre-sentencing report.

Probation Officer Peter Macharia told the court that he needed more time to interview some of the victims.

Earlier this month, the court found Mohammed Abdi and Hassan Mustafa guilty of conspiracy to commit attack at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall that left 67 people dead and several injured.

Liban Abdullahi Omar, the third accused was acquitted of the charges due to lack of evidence.

"The irregularities in the process of issuing ID cards cannot be blamed on the third person. The accused was not at the Westgate building during the time of the attack," ruled Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi.

Omar who is from Somalia and had been living in Kakuma refugee camp was kidnapped by gunmen after he was released by the Anti-terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).

Magistrate Andayi has directed the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC) to probe Omar’s abduction.