Kenyan Police Search for British Woman Linked to Terrorism

Kenyan police are looking for a British woman who is reportedly using the identity of the widow of a suicide bomber involved in the 2005 London attacks. An official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the police suspect she is collecting money for a terrorist group.

The woman has been using multiple identities, including Samantha Lewthwaite and Natalie Faye Webb. Lewthwaite is the widow of Jermaine Lindsay, one of the bombers responsible for the deaths of 52 people in London on July 7, 2005. Reports suggest that Faye Webb is a victim of identity theft.

The official could not confirm if the woman is actually Lewthwaite. The police are collaborating with Scotland Yard on this investigation.

Lewthwaite’s father, Andy Lewthwaite, a builder from Aylesbury near London, mentioned that he and the rest of the family had not heard from his daughter in a long time. “I just wish she would get in touch with us,” he told The Sun newspaper. He expressed confidence that Samantha would not engage in any terrorist activities, as she was deeply affected by past events.

The police believe that the woman is part of a group planning to bomb the Kenyan coast in December as revenge for Kenya’s military actions in Somalia. Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October after a series of attacks by Somali gunmen, which the Kenyan government attributed to the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab has threatened to carry out suicide bombings but has not yet done so. However, Kenya has faced several grenade and small arms attacks recently. Police suspect that over 30 civilian deaths in the last five months were linked to al-Shabab or its supporters.

In January, Kenyan police announced that they had prevented a major terror attack by al-Shabab during the Christmas season. On that same day, Britain warned its citizens in Kenya to be cautious, as terrorists might be close to launching an attack.

The police believe the British woman is part of the group planning the attack, which may also include Jermaine Grant, a British man sentenced to three years in prison for immigration violations and lying about his identity. Grant is accused of conspiring to commit a crime and possessing explosive materials.

Prosecutors say Grant has connections to al-Shabab, but his lawyer, Chacha Mwita, denied these claims, stating that Grant has not mentioned anything about a “European woman.”

Another suspected group member is Aboud Rogo, an Islamic preacher arrested in January during a police raid at his home. Police claim to have found weapons and explosives there, but Rogo’s family insists the police planted the evidence.

Rogo was released on bail last week, and his lawyer, Mbugua Mureithi, challenged the police to provide proof linking Rogo to any terrorist group. Mureithi argued that the accusations against his client are part of a “smear campaign.”

Rogo was previously acquitted of murder charges related to a 2002 bombing of a tourist hotel that killed over a dozen people and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airplane. He is also facing separate charges for being a member of al-Shabab, which is banned in Kenya.

Al-Shabab’s most significant attack outside Somalia occurred in July 2010, when suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killed 76 people watching the World Cup final. The group claimed these attacks were in response to the presence of Ugandan troops in Somalia.