22 including crypto merchants, lawyer arrested and produced in court in anti-terror sweep
Mombasa-based lawyer Andrew Chacha Mwita was among 22 individuals who fell into the dragnet of a counter terrorism operation targeting terror supporters, financiers, and beneficiaries in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kapseret, Moyale, and Marsabit.
Mwita was arrested on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Mombasa following a sting operation led by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit for financing terrorism.
The ongoing operation also netted other suspects accused of facilitating, radicalization, recruitment, and financing terror activities nationwide.
Mwita was presented before Kahawa Law Courts Monday where detectives sought 20 days custodial order.
The ruling will be made on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
A custodial application hearing for Richard Muriuki Murimi, Said Galgalo Duba, Ali Mohamed and Dhalha Abdi Mohamed who were nabbed within Nairobi was deferred to November 18, 2025.
Anthony Odhiambo Odwuor who was traced down to Kapseret, Eldoret will equally know his fate on November 25, 2025 when a ruling of 15 days custodial order sought against him will be made.
Further, the court will make a decision on November 26, 2025 regarding a miscellaneous application for 20 days custodial order against Miriam Ali Abdalla and Aisha Abdullahi who were arrested in Mombasa.
On that same day, Fatuma Yabalo Guyo, Jilo Arafti Halake, Ajirena Halake Sora, Safia Ture Bidu, Kabale Duba Ali and Abdisalam Hassan Charfi who were fished out in the neighborhood of Marsabit will also know the outcome of a 30 days custodial order sought against them.
Miscellaneous application hearing against the seven remaining suspects is set to continue Tuesday at the same court.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations remains red-hot in the fight against terrorism and commits to leave no stone unturned.
Anti-terrorism police said Friday they had disrupted what they describe as one of the most intricate terrorism facilitation networks identified in the country in ongoing fight against extremism.
22 suspects, including Mwita were arrested in an operation ahead of planned arraignment.
This followed extensive intelligence-led inquiries and a series of coordinated operations by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
Officials said the probe had extended to the neighboring countries.
Central to the matter are approximately ten young recruits who were arrested earlier this year while allegedly preparing to leave the country for a mission.
Their detention has reportedly been pivotal in guiding investigators toward the broader network.
The recruits are said to have been influenced online and through local contacts before being moved through Kenya to Puntland, in northern Somalia, and later to Yemen.
These areas are described by security officers as transit points for individuals aiming to connect with ISIS affiliates as pressure mounts on the group’s strongholds elsewhere.
“Kenya serves as a corridor. Once they reach Puntland, arrangements are made to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen, where they link up with established ISIS cells,” an official said.
The lawyer, known for previously representing several terror suspects, is reported to have first interacted with the extremist network while defending radicalised youths facing terror-related charges in Kenyan courts.
“Over time, he is believed to have moved from solely offering legal services to becoming involved in the wider facilitation network.”
Authorities allege that some of his legal fees were linked to extremist financiers associated with ISIS and that he later agreed to help coordinate various aspects of the network’s activities.
Authorities say the lawyer used cryptocurrency to fund terror operations. His legal representatives denied the claims.
The lawyer is expected to face charges related to terror financing, membership in a terror organization, and participation in a criminal network, with the specific counts to be confirmed when the suspects appear in court.
Investigators claim to have assembled what they term “overwhelming” material connecting the group to financing, logistical support, and the movement of recruits to ISIS cells abroad, particularly via Puntland to Yemen.
The latest operation is the result of months of surveillance and financial analysis.
The ATPU reports having traced a significant financial trail linking the arrested individuals to the recruitment and movement of young Kenyans to conflict zones.
Police sources said the material evidence includes bank transfers, hotel booking records, cross-border travel documents, and various digital transactions processed through cryptocurrencies, which operate outside traditional banking systems.