An Eldoret court has sentenced Patrick Wangeci, also known as Jibril, to seven years in prison. The court found him guilty of six terrorism-related offences, Pulse Live Kenya reported. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) announced the conviction.
Wangeci was convicted on two counts of possessing articles connected to terrorism. He was also convicted on four counts of collecting information for terrorist purposes. According to the ODPP, investigators found him in possession of videos promoting extremist ideologies and terrorism.
The court gave him five years for each possession count and seven years for each count of collecting information. All six sentences will run concurrently. He will serve them at the same time, so he faces seven years in total.
Wangeci was arrested and charged on February 12, 2019, after intelligence reports led to investigations into his activities. The trial ran for more than seven years. The prosecution called five witnesses and presented evidence that proved all six charges, the ODPP said.
Principal Prosecution Counsels Eric Kiarie and Eunice Rono handled the case, together with Prosecution Counsel Saphia Awil.
The sentence comes as a propaganda video spreads on social media, Pulse Live Kenya reported. The undated clip shows suspected Al Shabaab militants with AK-47 rifles firing at a speeding police vehicle. The shooting took place in a forested area in northern Kenya.
The video surfaced days after a morning ambush in Mandera County on Tuesday. Armed attackers opened fire on a security vehicle guarding workers on the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road project. The attack happened at Koromey, near Hagarsu. Authorities confirmed at least eight deaths, including five engineers and two police reservists. Seven victims died at the scene. The driver died of gunshot wounds while being rushed to the Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital. Reinforcements were sent to pursue the attackers.