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Police identify Dusit D2 suicide bomber who blew himself up


Police have identified the terrorist who blew himself up on Tuesday during the 14 Riverside Drive terror attack which left 21 people dead.

They revealed the identity of the suicide bomber as 25-year-old Al Shabaab operative, Mahir Khalid Rizik.

According to the police, Mahir, who was born and brought up in Mombasa, is believed to have sneaked back into the country on January 13th from Somalia, where he had been undergoing training since 2018.

Upon returning, he connected with Ali Salim Gichunge, alias Farouk, in Muchatha, in Kiambu county.

RADICALISED

Police believe the suspect was radicalised by an Al Shabaab militant known as Ramadhan Hamisi, who is said to be in Somalia.

The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit said they had established that Mahir has been previously involved in attacks that mainly targeted security forces and has previously travelled to Somalia.

The national ID of Al Shabaab operative, Mahir Khalid Rizik, who is believed to be the suicide bomber who blew himself up during the Dusit terror attack. PHOTO | COURTESY
The national ID of Al Shabaab operative, Mahir Khalid Rizik, who is believed to be the suicide bomber who blew himself up during the Dusit terror attack. PHOTO | COURTESY

CCTV footage from the scene shows the terrorist walking outside a manicured lawn before he stands outside Secret Gardens, where he is passed by two people who seem oblivious of what he was up to.

He stands on the same spot for close to a minute before blowing himself up just after 3pm on Tuesday.

SUSPECTS

According to police reports, the suicide bomber killed six people at the restaurant.

Police also believe Mahir arrived at the complex and stayed at a hotel room from where he walked down to the crime scene while in communication with his fellow attackers who shot their way in.

Six suspects linked to the terror attack were on Friday arraigned in court and the police have been allowed to detain five of them for 30 days to facilitate the ongoing investigation.