Denis Kamanga Kamau, the taxi driver who drove the suspects for two days, said Iranians Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Mansour Mousavi told him they wanted to visit places that are popular for social events. Police believe the pair were scouting out sites for bombings.
The taxi driver said he took them to Fort Jesus. “They said they wanted a place where they were many events and I thought they would be excited like many foreigners at Fort Jesus. But they were not happy,” he testified.
“They said they wanted to see a place where there were many events, so I took them to Pirates [as the Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach is popularly known], and they were happy,” said Kamanga.
He told the court that the two suspects walked along the beach for about 10 minutes, and to his surprise they asked to be shown another place. “I thought they wanted to go to the marine park but they were not interested. It is like they changed their mind,” he said.
Kamanga, who was led through his evidence by senior state counsel Edwin Okello, said he was introduced to the two by a receptionist from the Mombasa Royal Castle Hotel where they were staying.
He told trial Magistrate Paul Biwot that he also took them to Haller Park, the largest animal sanctuary in Mombasa. But they did not go in because, when they were told they had to pay, they said it was too expensive.