Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee who pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges before Nairobi Magistrate Court at Milimani Law Courts on Thursday December 1,2o16 (PHOTO BY SAM).
BY SAM ALFAN.
Two Iranians and a Kenyan national were today charged before a Nairobi court with taking video clips of the Israeli Embassy.
Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee were intercepted aboard a diplomatic car on Bishops Road, Nairobi.
They are accused on 29, November along Bishop road in Nairobi, in facilitation of terrorists act were found taking video clips of Israel embassy using Samsung phone fitted with Micro Airtel and 16GP micro SD card the information for the use in the commission of terrorists act.
The suspects were found taking the pictures using a mobile phone.
Moses Mboga who is a driver at the embassy is accused of aiding a terrorist act by driving a Toyota Prado belonging to the Iranian Embassy which had two occupants.
They were taking photos after they had come from visiting two other Iranians, who have been jailed for life over terrorism at the Kamiti prison,
“They are believed to have been collecting information in facilitation of a terrorist act,” Prosecutor Duncan Ondimu submitted.
“They had taken pictures from Kamiti prison all the way to the NSSF building before police intercepted them,” the prosecutor said.
Prosecution accused Iran Deputy Ambassador who was present in court for attempting to interfere with investigations. He said the deputy ambassador tried to take one of the laptop taken from accused persons by anti-terrorism police and cautioned his involvement.
Mr Ondimu said the police would be investigating the circumstances under which the two suspects were given a diplomatic vehicle by a deputy ambassador to use in committing offences in the city.
They claimed they were international lawyers coming to represent the two Iranian serving life sentences.
He asked that the suspects be detained until Tuesday next week for police to complete investigations.
The prosecutor asked the court to take judicial notice of the current state of renewed terror alerts grave danger the arrested suspects posed.
The accused bid by their lawyer Amanya Kohen to gag the media from covering and publishing their images failed after trial magistrate rejected a request to bar the media from covering the proceedings saying the presence of the press posed no prejudice.
Magistrate Joyce Gandfani in her ruling to deny the suspects bond said the offences they face were serious necessitating comprehensive investigations.
She concurred that Kenyans have a right to know “what was happening on matters concerning national security.”
The case will be mentioned on 6 of December 1, 2016 before the trial court for bail application.
