Two men were found guilty on Thursday by a Kenyan court for assisting in the 2019 attack on Nairobi’s Dusit hotel and office complex, which resulted in 21 deaths.
The attack, carried out by al Shabaab militants, involved gunmen storming the complex in January 2019. The siege lasted over 12 hours, with authorities later confirming the deaths of all the attackers, who were linked to al Qaeda. CCTV footage revealed five assailants involved in the assault.
Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were arrested later that year for providing logistical support to the attackers. A third suspect, Mire Abdullahi, was previously convicted through a plea deal. Abdile and Ali had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included conspiracy and facilitation of terrorism. Prosecutors argued they helped two attackers secure forged IDs, enabling their escape from a refugee camp.
Judge Diana Mochache convicted the men, with sentencing scheduled for next month. Kenya has been a frequent target of al Shabaab, which also claimed responsibility for attacks at the Westgate mall in 2013 and Garissa University in 2015.
Al Shabaab, aiming to overthrow Somalia’s government, justifies its attacks as retaliation for Kenya’s military presence in Somalia.