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Car sticker, Facebook posts used to trace activities of terror suspect

By NYABOGA KIAGE January 17th, 2019 2 min read

A marketing company that pasted a sticker on the rear of a car used to ferry terrorists to Dusit D2 hotel has spoken out on its interaction with one of the attackers.

23 Marketing Kenya pasted the sticker (of a man wearing a M50 gas mask) on the Toyota Ractis, KCN 340E that was later found abandoned in a drainage ditch near the DusitD2 barrier.

Nairobi News has learnt that one of  attackers, Ali Salim, drove the car to 23 Marketing offices located on Mfangano Street in the city centre on December 15, 2018 and requested for the sticker.

The firm then posted on its Instagram page before and after pictures of the sticker pasted on the car.

CENTER OF INVESTIGATIONS

Thirty two days later, the firm is at the center of investigations on the terrorist attack that has so far claimed 21 lives.

The firm says it has provided enough information to investigators who visited the company on Wednesday morning.

“Hello, we’ve already provided the authorities with relevant information regarding the client. Thanks,” the company said.

Instagram users have been probing the firm to make it clear that they are being investigated.

“@allthingsmercyline we’re being investigated,” the company posted on Instagram.

Nairobi News has further learnt that Mr Salim registered at the firm using phone number 0704 407153. The number was not operational on Wednesday.

Further searches of his traces online led to a Facebook page by the name Red Junior.

SELLING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Red Junior had on Wednesday and Thursday last week posted on various groups on Facebook that he was selling all his household items for Sh100, 000 because he was planning to move out of his Ruaka home.

The posts were posted on January 8 and January 9, 2018 on various groups in Facebook.

One post read; “We are moving out of Nairobi this week so it’s a quick sale. Prices slightly negotiable.”

These are some of the leads that detectives are pursuing a police source told Nairobi News.

“The statement that they were moving out in a one week’s time and the fact that the terror attack happened a week later raises eyebrows,” a source said.

One person who was interested to make the purchase was given the phone number 0723 083391 as the contact. True caller identifies the owner of the phone number as Miss No Name.

The police source told Nairobi News that they suspect the number was the one being used by Mr Salim’s housemate, presumed to be his wife, Ms Violet Kemunto Omwoyo.

Some of the images that Red Junior has uploaded to his Facebook account are also suspicious as they are all military related.

Nairobi News has also learnt that Red Junior had liked the official Facebook page of the Kenya Defense Forces.