Kenya court charges imam linked by UN to Somali Islamists with weapons possession

MOMBASA, Kenya — Kenyan court officials have charged an Islamic religious leader who is an open advocate of Somali militants with possession of weapons and conspiring to commit murder.

Abdi Rogo Mohammed was arrested Sunday by Kenyan police after they said they found a cache of weapons in his house.

Prosecutor Samson Kiptum said Monday that Mohammed did not have a firearms certificate and was concealing a rifle, ammunition, two hand grenades, two pistols and 102 bomb detonators at his house in the Kenyan coastal district of Kilifi.

Mohammed’s wife says the weapons were planted at his home.

A U.N. report said last year that Mohammed is an open advocate of Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militia.

He is currently on bail for other weapons-related offenses. Bail in the new case was denied and Mohammed will be in jail until Feb. 13, when his case is due to resume.

The Associated Press