Acquitted Westgate terrorist Liban Abdillahi Omar has reportedly been kidnapped by unknown gunmen after being freed from police custody.
Omar was kidnapped on Thursday morning moments after leaving Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) offices in Upper Hill, Nairobi. He was with his sister in a taxi near KCB Towers when four gun-toting men in a Subaru ordered them to stop and pulled out Omar.
They forced him into their vehicle the sped off.
The kidnappers also took off with the taxi driver’s car keys leaving them stranded in an incident that has been met by mixed reactions from rights groups.
Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri), a lobby group based in Mombasa has pointed accusing fingers at the police. Muhuri is chaired by Khelef Khalifa.
“If the police are not satisfied with the ruling they should appeal and follow the laid down processes,” said Khalifa.
Presiding magistrate Francis Andayi found Omar not guilty on Wednesday for lack of evidence in the Westgate terror attack that left 67 people dead and more than 150 injured.
The refugee from Somalia who was nabbed after police tracked phone calls between him and his brother, who was killed in the attack had been in custody for seven years.
“I give the second accused the benefit of doubt in communicating with his brother who was one of the attackers. Not everyone who speaks with the accused is guilty,” Andayi said while acquitting Omar.
The magistrate however found Omar’s co-accused Mohamed Abdul and Hussein Mustafa guilty of conspiring to commit a terror attack at in Westgate Shopping Mall in 2013.
The three suspects were facing 12 counts related to the commission of a terrorist act, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, giving support to a terrorist group, Al Shabaab, and being in the country illegally.
