Notorious suicide bomber used Mandera County border with Somalia to sneak into the country unnoticed just a day to the DusitD2 terror attack, police have established.
Khalid Riziki,25, has been on the run since 2014 when he was linked to death of police officers in the coastal City of Mombasa with Sh2 million placed on him by authorities.
After a short stint in Tanzania, Riziki, who was born in Mombasa, is said to have proceeded to Somalia where he attended training with the Al-Shabaab militants in the war torn country.
On January 13, he sneaked into Kenya through Elwak in Mandera County, then to Takaba, and boarded a Moyale Raha bus in Marsabit town to Nairobi. When he arrived in the city, he immediately proceeded to Muchatha to link with the attack cell leader, Ali Salim Gichunge alias Faruk, to receive instructions on his role for the planned attack.
On the day of the attack, Mahir reportedly arrived at the scene earlier but was constantly communicating with Gichunge, taking instructions and updating him on his status.
“The attack strategy was for him to detonate his suicide vest to kill people at the Secret Garden restaurant and signal incoming attackers.
"Then, as people scamper for safety towards the main entrance of Dusit complex, the other four attackers were supposed to embark on a killing spree targeting the fleeing crowd,” a source said.
There have also been revelations that at the time of the attack, the terrorist was in failing health and might have been in charge of a cell that emerged in Mombasa last November to plot the carnage.
His wife, Mwakim Bakari, who is said to have married another man when he left Mombasa, was arrested on Saturday by security forces for questioning as police try to locate and arrest other possible masterminds.
Investigators claim that the two were in constant communication despite not meeting for long and she might give important leads in the ongoing crackdown.
During the attack, at least 21 people died while 30 others were seriously injured and are undergoing treatment in various hospitals within Nairobi since Tuesday.