Kenya Convicts Two Iranians Plotting Terror Attacks

A Kenyan court on Thursday found two Iranian men guilty of possessing 33 pounds of explosives and planning to carry out bombings in Kenyan cities.

At the time of their arrest in June 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu charged the men with being part of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli targets in Kenya.

Ahmad Mohammed and Sayed Mousavi were arrested in Nairobi last June. Investigators said at the time it was unclear whether the pair had ties to al Qaida-linked terrorists in Somalia or were part of another network.

“I must [express appreciation to] our Kenyan security personnel for detecting and taking swift action to stop the catastrophe and ensure our country was safe,” Waweru Kiarie, Nairobi’s chief magistrate, said after convicting the two men.

Kenya was hit by a spate of bombings and attacks last year, which the Nairobi government mostly blamed on the Somali al Shabaab rebels its forces were hunting down inside Somalia.

Mohammed and Mousavi were charged with being in possession of explosives and preparing to commit a felony.

They had both pleaded not guilty and will be sentenced on Monday. They face up to 15 years in prison, the prosecution said.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the May 3rd, 2013 edition of Hamodia.