Thu Jun 19 19:01:59 UTC 2025: ## Kenyan Court Sentences Two Men to 30 Years for Aiding DusitD2 Attackers

**Nairobi, Kenya** – A Kenyan court has sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for their role in aiding the al-Shabab fighters who carried out the deadly attack on the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi in January 2019. The attack, which claimed the lives of 21 people, marked a significant resurgence of terrorist activity in the Kenyan capital.

Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were found guilty of facilitating and conspiring to commit a terrorist act by Judge Diana Kavedza Mochache. The court heard that the men provided crucial assistance to two of the attackers, including providing fake identity cards that allowed them to escape from a refugee camp, and financial support.

“Without financiers, facilitators and sympathisers, terrorists cannot actualise their activities,” Judge Mochache stated during sentencing, emphasizing the critical role the two men played in enabling the attack. “This was not a crime with isolated harm; 21 lives were lost,” she added, acknowledging the deep and ongoing psychological scars inflicted on survivors.

The attack on the upscale DusitD2 complex, frequented by wealthy Kenyans and foreign nationals, saw gunmen storm the compound and open fire. The siege lasted over 12 hours before security forces were able to eliminate all the attackers. Al-Shabab, the Somalia-based group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, citing retaliation for then-President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The DusitD2 attack was the first major terrorist incident in Nairobi since the 2013 Westgate mall massacre, which killed 67 people. In 2015, al-Shabab also attacked Garissa University, killing 148. These attacks have led to increased security measures at high-end venues across the city.

Al-Shabab has repeatedly targeted Kenya in an effort to force the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia, where they are part of a regional force fighting the militant group.

Abdile and Ali, who denied the charges against them, have 14 days to appeal the court’s decision.

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