A Mombasa court has charged a Turkish businessman with membership in the Al-Shabaab terrorist group and other terrorism-related offenses, including illegal firearm possession. He and his co-accused were released on bond, with their pretrial hearing set for February 19, 2026. The case follows a recent suspected Al-Shabaab attack in Garissa.
On February 3, 2026, a Turkish businessman appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo in a Mombasa court, facing charges of membership in the Harakat Al Shabaab Mujahideen group, in violation of Kenya's Prevention of Terrorism Act of 2012. He was also accused of possessing an article linked to a terrorist act—a Samsung Flip 7 phone containing videos suspected of ties to terrorist activities.
Investigators claimed the recordings were made on January 14, 2026, at around 5:23 p.m. at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit station in Mombasa. In a separate charge, the tycoon was alleged to have possessed a Glock pistol on January 12, 2026, in the Majengo Kanamai area of Kilifi South, under suspicious circumstances suggesting unlawful intent.
His co-accused faced charges of associating with someone in possession of a firearm, and both were jointly accused of assaulting a Kenyan citizen and causing actual bodily harm. Prosecutors sought strict bond terms, citing the suspects' foreign status and lack of fixed abode, and requested their passports be surrendered. The court granted the Turkish national a Ksh 1 million bond with a surety and a Kenyan contact, while the co-accused received a Ksh 500,000 bond or Ksh 200,000 cash bail. The pretrial hearing is scheduled for February 19, 2026.
This case emerges amid heightened security concerns, just days after suspected Al-Shabaab militants killed a chief and a teacher in their homes in Hulugho town, Garissa County, on January 25, 2026.
