Makueni Doctor Sentenced to 12 Years for Planning Anthrax Attack

Kenyan doctor Mohamed Abdu Ali has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement with terrorist organizations.  

Ali, a leader within the Islamic State (ISIS), plotted a bioterror attack in Kenya using anthrax. This highly contagious bacteria could have caused instant death by targeting human cells. Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku imposed the sentence calculated from the date of Ali's arrest in April 2016. The court has convicted him of terrorism-related charges including membership in a terrorist group, planning terrorist activities, recruitment, and possession of terrorism-linked materials. 

"I find that the prosecution has proved its case against Ali in respect to counts 1,2,4,7 and 8 and l convict him for these counts under section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). I grant him the benefit of the doubt in counts 3,5 and 6 and acquit him under 215 of the CPC," ruled the magistrate. 
 
Social media platforms like Twitter, Gmail, WhatsApp, and Telegram served as Ali's communication channels with foreign terrorists. He persistently created new accounts to share al-Shabaab propaganda even after prior accounts were closed. The court established his connection to this known terrorist group. Furthermore, Ali instructed Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan (alias Miski) and others to form an ISIS cell in Kenya, aided by ISIS operatives returning from Libya.  

His terror network spanned Kenya's regions including the Coast, North Rift, and Western areas, and extended to Somalia, Libya, and Syria. The prosecution revealed the network's inclusion of medical professionals and their plan to launch a biological anthrax attack in Kenya. Ali's conviction is in line with the gravity of his actions which involved radicalizing and recruiting Kenyan youth into these extremist groups. Two other ISIS suspects Kiguzo Mwangolo Mgutu and Abubakar Jillo Mohammed vanished after Ali's arrest.