Lawyer, Crypto Traders Fall in Major Anti-Terror Crackdown

Police have arrested 22 people, including a prominent Mombasa lawyer and several cryptocurrency traders, in a nationwide sweep targeting terror financing networks that has seen detectives cast their net from the Coast to the North Eastern border counties.

Andrew Chacha Mwita, a well-known legal practitioner in Mombasa, was arrested on Friday following what investigators described as a carefully planned sting operation by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit. He is accused of channeling funds to terror networks operating in the country.

The multi-agency operation, which has been unfolding over the past week, has extended across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kapseret in Uasin Gishu County, Moyale and Marsabit, with detectives zeroing in on suspects believed to be facilitating radicalization, recruitment and financing of terror activities.

When Mwita was presented before Kahawa Law Courts on Monday, ATPU detectives sought to hold him for 20 days to complete investigations into his alleged role in the terror financing network. Chief Magistrate Diana Mochache is expected to deliver her ruling on the application tomorrow.

The court has become a hive of activity as prosecutors line up suspects arrested in the operation, with different cases scheduled for mention and ruling over the coming days.

Four suspects picked up in Nairobi, Richard Muriuki Murimi, Said Galgalo Duba, Ali Mohamed and Dhalha Abdi Mohamed, were to know their fate today after their custodial hearing was deferred from Monday. Investigators are seeking time to interrogate them and establish their links to terror networks.

In Kapseret, detectives tracked down Anthony Odhiambo Odwuor, who will learn on November 25 whether he will remain in custody for the 15 days investigators are seeking to piece together evidence against him.

The operation also swept up two women in Mombasa, Miriam Ali Abdalla and Aisha Abdullahi, who face a possible 20-day detention if the court grants the application when it rules on November 26.

But it is in Marsabit where the dragnet captured the highest number of suspects in a single swoop. Six people, Fatuma Yabalo Guyo, Jilo Arafti Halake, Ajirena Halake Sora, Safia Ture Bidu, Kabale Duba Ali and Abdisalam Hassan Charfi, were arrested and face 30 days in police custody as investigators work to unravel their alleged involvement in terror activities.

Seven other suspects arrested in the operation were expected to appear in court today for their miscellaneous applications to be heard.

The involvement of cryptocurrency traders in the operation points to the evolving nature of terror financing, with security agencies increasingly concerned about the use of digital currencies to move money across borders without detection.

The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies has made them attractive to criminal networks seeking to evade traditional banking surveillance systems.

Intelligence sources told Kenya Insights that the operation was the culmination of months of surveillance and infiltration of networks suspected of funneling money to terror groups operating in the region.

The arrests come at a time when security agencies have intensified their focus on financial flows supporting extremist activities, particularly in regions bordering Somalia.

The arrest of a lawyer in the sweep has raised questions about how professional networks may be exploited by terror financiers seeking to legitimize illicit funds.

Legal practitioners are required under anti-money laundering regulations to report suspicious transactions, but investigators believe some may have been compromised or willingly participated in moving terror funds.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations, in a statement on Monday, said it remains committed to dismantling terror networks and their support systems across the country.

“We will leave no stone unturned in the fight against terrorism,” the DCI said, signaling that more arrests could follow as investigators pursue leads generated from the ongoing operation.

Kenya has been a target of terrorist attacks, particularly by the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab group, which has carried out deadly strikes on Kenyan soil in retaliation for the country’s military presence in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission.

The 2013 Westgate Mall attack, the 2015 Garissa University assault and the 2019 Dusit D2 hotel siege remain fresh in the national memory, making counter-terrorism operations a priority for security agencies.

The current operation appears to focus not just on those who carry out attacks, but on the financial infrastructure that enables terror groups to plan and execute their activities.

By targeting financiers, recruiters and facilitators, investigators hope to disrupt the operational capacity of terror networks before they can strike.

As the cases proceed through the courts, prosecutors will need to present compelling evidence linking the suspects to terror activities, a task that often proves complex given the clandestine nature of such networks and the sophisticated methods used to conceal financial transactions.

The outcomes of the custodial applications will determine how much time investigators have to build their cases before suspects must either be charged or released.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​