A Kenyan court has rejected a bail application by two Iran nationals arrested with explosives.
Nairobi
senior principal magistrate Paul Biwott said Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and
Sayed Mansour Mousavi are a "flight risk".
The
court said the accused, who were charged on Monday, are only “safe in
custody since they have no known abode in Kenya".
He
upheld the contention by the State that "they are a threat to public
security given the alleged explosives recovered from them by the state security
apparatus".
The
magistrate was impressed upon to take into account national security, the
public good versus the rights of the accused.
Mr
Biwott disregarded a contention by defence lawyer David Kirimi that they
detention will sour the bilateral relations between Kenya and Iran.
He
ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody until their case is heard
and determined.
“The
question of relations does not arise given the threat posed by the suspects,”
chief inspector Nzau Musangi told the magistrate.
"The
defence lawyer is not well placed to comment on the bilateral relations between
Kenya and Iran.”
Insp
Musangi said: "The accused are threat to the general public. We don’t
enough police officers to attach to the accused to monitor what they are
doing.”
He
urged the magistrate to be alive to the recent terror attacks in the
country.
Mr
Musangi dismissed as total lies allegations by the suspects that “they were
tortured while in police custody by Israeli security officers".
The
suspects alleged that they were denied medical attention saying they were
sick and need urgent treatment
The
court ordered the accused to be escorted to the Nairobi Hospital for treatment
at their own cost.
They
were arrested with 15 kilogrammes of RDX explosives with an intention to cause
grievous bodily harm.
Source:
Daily Nation
