It was also revealed that Bwire was recruited for the job by his cousin Engiva, who is currently serving a life sentence for terrorism at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
A Kenyan national, Victor Bwire, also known as Abdulaziz, has been convicted by a Milimani court of plotting an attack on the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in 2019.
According to court testimony, Bwire was found to have given security instructions to a terrorist in collaboration with still-fugitive accomplices in Somalia.
The prosecution, led by Harrison Kiarie, presented 11 witnesses, including an FBI agent, to prove the case against Bwire.
The judge, Hon. Bernard Ochoi, will sentence Bwire on Feb. 8, 2023, after a victim impact report, a pre-sentence report and submissions from the parties are filed.
“It was noted that the defendant admitted that he was enrolled to collect intelligence reports on the security arrangements of the KICC. He was tasked with gathering information about parking lots and the area surrounding the building in advance of a planned attack,” Ochoi said.
Bwire was found guilty of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and gathering information for the commission of a terrorist act.
His accomplices in Somalia are currently being prosecuted by authorities.
Using social media to communicate with terrorists
The court was informed that Victor Bwire had collected information about the KICC during his stay in Umoja Estate, Nairobi, and had shared it with his terrorist accomplices through his social media accounts.
The prosecution presented evidence that Bwire had set up three Facebook accounts and communicated with the terrorist group’s leader, Mohamed Yare Abdalla, in order to pass on the information to his accomplices in Somalia.
Judge Bernard Ochoi learned that Bwire had worked as an agent for the terror group and received payments from it.
The prosecution also presented evidence that Bwire planned attacks on government buildings, particularly the Supreme Court of Kenya, the KICC, and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), all located in Nairobi.
It was also revealed that Bwire had been recruited for the task by his cousin Engiva, who is currently serving a life sentence for terrorism at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
