Al-Shabaab pilot may be planning attacks in Kenya, police warn
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Kenyan security agencies have appealed to the public to voluntarily release information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of Rashid Mwalimu, who is wanted by anti-terrorism police.
According to a statement sent to media houses, Mwalimu, who is currently in Somalia, should be considered armed and dangerous; he is a trained pilot on a mission to carry out an air strike on behalf of the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
Security agencies handling the case believe he will try to sneak back into the country.
Investigation into his alleged involvement with the terrorist group revealed that he trained as a pilot in the Philippines along with an accomplice Cholo Abdi Abdulla, who is currently in legal custody.
Security sources say Cholo and Mwalimu were close friends and joined Al-Shabaab in 2015.
The duo trained and carried out attacks in Somalia before being sent to the Boni forest, where they were selected for an aviation course based on their impressive academic qualifications.
They are also said to have been close friends with the leader of the DusitD2 attack – Salim Gichunge (Faruq) and Osman Gedi (a Dusit attacker).
While Gichunge and Gedi were hand-picked for the Kenyan attack, the other pair were chosen to train as pilots and then deployed to hijack aircraft.
Cholo was arrested in July 2019 in the Philippines, where he had studied aviation at the All-Ais Aviation Academy.
The US intelligence service believes that Cholo, who is facing six (6) counts of terrorism-related offenses stemming from his activities as an al Shabaab member, had planned to hijack a plane and carry out a 9/11-style attack in USA.
Additional reports show that Cholo led security agencies to his hiding place in part because of his own ruthlessness.
A well-known female assessor, Cholo, accidentally let the cat out of the bag and told his harem about his pursuits and future plans, inadvertently inviting police officers to his hiding place.
After his arrest, his colleague Mwalimu escaped back to Somalia and according to the Kenyan security agencies, she cunningly lied about what ruined their plan.
Members are urged to continue cooperating with security agencies to report incidents and potentially eliminate any planned terrorist activity.
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