The two Iranians – Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Man-sour Mousavi – appeared in a Kenyan court last Wednesday to face charges of planning to attack foreign targets in Kenya. They are thought to be members of the Qods Force of the Pasdaran.
They were arrested in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, June 19. They later led Kenyan authorities to a cache of 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of RDX, a military-grade explosive material that could have been used in bombs.
A police investigator this week told the court the police now believe the men actually brought 100 kilos of explosive into the country and that 85 kilos (187 pounds) are still stashed somewhere. The police report did not say what made them think there was more explosive to be found.
The two Iranians were followed for eight days before being arrested. Kenyan prosecutors said the two men were arrested “in circumstances that indicated they were armed with the intent to commit a felony, namely acts intended to cause grievous harm.”
The Daily Telegraph of London said the two suspects toured Nairobi surveying the British High Commission (embassy), the Israeli embassy and a synagogue before they were arrested. Police sources revealed that the two men’s driver told them during questioning that they took notes about the buildings.
One Kenyan detective told The Daily Telegraph, “It is very clear that they were casing these places, that they were up to no good. From what we saw, their intention was clear to plan and execute terrorism attacks.”
Police believe the duo planned to detonate as many as 30 bombs targeting British, US, Israeli and Saudi Arabian interests in addition to tourist, commercial and government facilities.
The Standard, a Kenyan daily, quoted an unnamed Kenyan official as saying Iran was putting pressure on Kenya to free the pair. But he said “other interests” eclipsed the Iranian pressure.
Mohammad said in court that he and Mousavi had been injected with an unknown substance against their will in jail. Mohammad also said he and Mousavi had been tortured, although all he described were difficult living conditions, such as sleeping on a cement floor and having only his jacket to keep him warm. Kenyan prosecutors denied the claims, but the magistrate hearing the case ordered an investigation into the allegations.
Mohammad also said they had been interrogated by Israeli agents. Israel’s deputy ambassador to Kenya, Yaki Lopez, said he had no comments on the issue and termed the case “an internal Kenyan issue.” Kenyan authorities, however, later confirmed that Israeli investigators were in Kenya.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of plotting to attacks against Israeli targets in Kenya. “Iranian terrorism knows no borders,” he said in a statement.
Soon after the arrests, Kenyan authorities said they shared pictures of the men with Israeli, American, British and French intelligence agencies. Israel reportedly said it knew the pair as Iranian agents..
“We are working closely with foreign intelligence [services] on the war on terror that is posing threats to our country, including American FBI and Israelis who I can confirm are in the country,” Njeru Mwaniki, head of Anti-Terrorism Unit, told the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
The case brought to mind other cases this year of bomb plots in India, Thailand, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Georgia.
The two suspects were trailed for eight days by Kenyan detectives before being arrested, the Sunday Nation of Nairobi reported.
Moments after the two landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a team of undercover agents was assigned to trail them round the clock.
They were picked out for surveillance because immediately after setting foot on Kenyan soil they made a telephone call to a Kenyan who had been placed on security watch due to suspected links with the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabab.
For the eight days that undercover officers trailed them, the Iranians made several flights between Nairobi and Mombasa. In both cities, they stayed in five-star hotels in the central business districts.
The Sunday Nation reported they were arrested after one of their local contacts was interrogated by police and revealed he was awaiting a call about a “package” that was hidden somewhere. He told the police that once the call came through, he would collect the package and deliver it.
It’s then that police pounced on the Iranians at the hotel, drove them away and detained them for interrogation.
A senior officer privy to the interrogation told the Sunday Nation the Iranians confessed that the package contained RDX. But all through the questioning, the two denied being terrorists and “they have not told us what they intended to do,” the officer said.
Immediately after the alleged confession, detectives flew with the Iranians to Mombasa that night. Sources said the decision was made because the police feared any person who knew about the package’s location would take it away if he or she discovered the Iranians had been arrested.
On arrival in Mombasa, the Iranians led police to the location – the grounds near Mombasa Golf Club. Squads of armed officers were mobilized and stationed in the area throughout the night to ensure that nobody gained entry.
Specialist officers moved in the next morning and recovered 15 kilos of the white crystalline substance. Tests done by a government chemist ascertained the chemical to be RDX.
RDX is a more powerful chemical than TNT, which is widely used in making conventional bombs. The amount of RDX recovered in Mombasa is enough to make a bomb that can bring down a multi-story building, a detective involved in the investigation told the Sunday Nation.
“The chemical could have caused great damage if it was used to assemble a single bomb and equally extensive destruction if it was used in bits for a series of explosions,” Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said.
If they had been successful, any bombings in Kenya might have been blamed on Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups from Somalia, who oppose Kenya’s involvement in an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Israel owns substantial interests in Kenya. Several beach resorts and the largest shopping mall in the country are owned by Israelis. In 2002, the Israeli-owned Kikambala Hotel was bombed, leaving several killed and injured.
David Karimi, attorney for the two suspects, said the men were actually business investors and argued that their arrest would harm Kenya-Iran relations. But the judge dismissed the argument and ordered the pair detained.