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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Mombasa bombing suspect hiding in Somalia |
| 2002-12-17 |
| A prime suspect in the November 28 terrorist attacks at the coast has called twice from his hideout in Somalia, his wife says. Mr Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan's wife, Fatuma, told investigators that the wanted man had called her to say he was hiding in the war-ravaged country, police said. Mr Willian Lang'at, the Deputy Commissioner of Police leading investigations into the attacks, said: "She told us her husband had called to say he was holed up in Baidoa town and that he wanted her to join him. She refused to go and opted to stay with her mother." "You stay up all night with your friends building bombs and never talk to me. Then you just vanish and leave me with the kids and then you expect me to drop everything and meet you in that hell hole? I'm going home to mother! She always said you were no good!" He said Fatuma was picked up from her mother's home in Lamu district on Saturday and taken to the Coast provincial police headquarters for interrogation. Nothing like a wife scorned to spill the beans. Mr Lang'at also confirmed that Mr Nabhan's 50-year-old mother, Mrs Esha Abdalla Nabhan, and his brother Mohammed Ali were still being held by police, four days after the High Court released them each on a Sh5 million bond with two sureties of the same amount. Relatives said on Sunday the two were missing after they failed to come home, and that a search at police stations had yielded no fruit. Mr Lang'at said: "The two will be released after we receive the court order and they pay the bond." He said Mrs Nabhan had taken the investigators to Lamu where they found Fatuma at her mother's home. Mr Nabhan, 23, is among five prime suspects being sought by police over the bomb attack, which killed 10 Kenyans, three Israelis and the three bombers at Paradise Hotel. Police say Mr Nabhan bought a Pajero from a Mombasa vehicle dealer, which was used to bomb the hotel, patronised by mainly Israelis. Police have placed a Sh500,000 prize tag on the heads of each of the five most wanted men. Said Mr Lang'at: "When we discovered Nabhan was a prime suspect, we went to his home in Mombasa, but found he and his wife had moved out. Nabhan's mother took us to Lamu where we found his wife." "That slut lead my poor boy to a life of crime!" Fatuma told the police she went to Lamu two days before the attack and that Mr Nabhan had asked her to stay there until he went for her. "She says her husband went to visit her on December 2. He told her he was going to Baidoa on an undisclosed mission," the officer said, adding that a few days later, Nabhan called his wife. Ah, yes. The old "undisclosed mission" story. My wife wouldn't buy it either. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 So, how come, if Somalia is a governmentless mess of tribal and clan and sub-clan fighting, the damn phones still work? WTF? |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-12-17 10:38:48 |