Kenyan court sentences al-Shabaab suspect to 80 years

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

A Kenyan court on Friday sentenced a man to a total of 80 years in prison after convicting him of being a member of the Somalia-based al-Shabaab militant group.

Abdirazak Muktar, 24, a car-hire business owner, was found in possession of terrorism-related materials which included journals, pictures and videos.

Judge Joyce Ngandani also gave Muktar 10-year sentences for each of six other terror-related offences, all to be served concurrently.

Muktar, a father of one, was arrested in 2014 at Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game reserve shortly after hiring out a car to a wanted terrorist going by the name Sheikh Hassan Blacky.

Hassan was later gunned down at a road-block in Mandera town in the vehicle registered to Muktar.

While delivering her ruling, Judge Ngandani said: “It is clear that they were planning a major terror attack. After considering the evidence given by the prosecution it is evident that by his conduct [Hassan] was a member of the terrorist group.”

Ngandani said Kenya faced a spate of terror attacks from al-Shabaab which had cost the lives of many Kenyans and ruined the country’s reputation, thus stiff punishment should serve as an example to others supporting terrorism.