The Kahawa Anti-Terror Court has sentenced two men to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the 2019 Dusit D2 Hotel Complex terror attack in Nairobi, which claimed 21 lives and left dozens injured.
Mohamed Abdi Ali, a 61-year-old madrassa teacher, was handed a 30-year prison term after being found guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges.
Lady Justice Diana Kavedza sentenced him to 15 years for each of 14 counts of facilitating a terrorist act, which will run concurrently, and an additional 15 years for conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
His co-accused, 22-year-old Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali, received a total of 30 years – 15 years for conspiracy and another 15 years for facilitating the attack. Unlike his co-accused, his sentences will run consecutively.
The two were linked to the January 15, 2019 attack on the upscale hotel and business complex that was claimed by the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.
Among the dead were foreign nationals, including American citizen Jason Spindler, whose father, Joseph Spindler, delivered a poignant victim impact statement during the sentencing.
“Jason was a survivor, a doer, and a visionary. He deserved a future, not a grave marked by the shrapnel from a terrorist’s suicide vest,” said Spindler.
The court heard that the attack not only took lives but devastated livelihoods, reducing foot traffic to the complex from 2,500 to 200 people daily, and dropping occupancy rates from full capacity to 55%.
Lady Justice Kavedza commended the work of law enforcement, calling the investigation one of the most comprehensive in Kenya’s counterterrorism history.
Prosecutors presented 45 witnesses, led by Assistant DPP Duncan Ondimu and a team of senior state counsels.
