The US government has offered a reward of 1.2 billion shillings to anyone who will help to arrest a wanted terrorist suspect in connection with the attack on the Dusit D2 hotel complex.
US officials and their Kenyan counterparts said Mohamoud Abdi Aden was the ring leader of the al-Shaabab terrorist group.
They added that he was part of a cell that planned an attack on Nairobi's Dusit D2 hotel complex in 2019 that killed 22 people.
“Do you have any information about Mohammed Abdi Aden? Send us your tip now. They could get rewards of up to $10 million (1.2 billion shillings)," said a poster about the wanted man.
Anyone with information should call +254-71-87-12-36 in Kenya or +252-68-43-43-308 in Somalia.
US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman led a delegation to the office of Criminal Investigation Director Mohammed Amin to make the announcement and appeal.
There have been speculations that all players died in the attack, but investigators determined that Aden was still alive and the mastermind.
He may be in Kenya or Somalia. The bounty offered is historic and should get a lot of attention.
In the terrorist attack, suicide bomber Mahir Riziki blew himself up outside the courtyard restaurant at 3:28 pm. Other terrorists armed with automatic weapons and grenades then attempted to kill many innocent bystanders.
Ali Salim Gichunge, Osman Ibrahim Gedi, Siyat Omar Abdi, and four unidentified gunmen attacked with AK rifles and hand grenades, targeting people in the Dusit D2 hotel and surrounding shops.
However, they were thwarted by quick responses from various parties, including security agencies. The terrorist images emerged in December 2020 when al-Shabaab released a seven-minute clip of them preparing to attack the complex.
Officials said the Dusit D2 attack occurred on a critical day that marked his third anniversary since the terrorists flooded the Kenyan Defense Forces base at El Ade in the Gedo region.
Suspects Mire Abdullahi Ali, Mohammed Hussein Abdil, and Mohammed Abdi Ali have at least five counts against them in connection with the attack.
Charges include conspiracy in a terrorist attack, aiding and abetting a terrorist attack, document registration fraud, and aiding and abetting a terrorist attack.
The attacker planned to broadcast the attack live on social media. The hotel reopened and closed after a few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda splinter group, has repeatedly targeted Kenya in Somalia.
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