Medical intern Mohamed Abdi Ali, also known as Abu Ramzi, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after spending 8 years in remand following his arrest in 2016 for involvement in terrorism-related activities. The Chief Magistrate’s Court Milimani found him guilty on five out of the eight charges brought against him.
Ali, aged 34, was apprehended at a medical facility in Wote, Makueni County, where he was working as an intern after completing his studies at Kampala International University between 2010 and 2015.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the case involved testimony from 25 witnesses, including Uganda’s Counter-Terrorism detectives, US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents, and Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police detectives. Ali, alias Abu Ramzi, was found guilty of various charges, including membership in a terrorist group (ISIS), recruiting members for a terrorist group, and possession of articles connected with the commission of a terrorism act.
During the sentencing, Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku took into account the seriousness of the offenses. Ali was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for each count, with the terms to run concurrently from his arrest in April 2016.
The DCI praised the investigators for their efforts in swiftly apprehending the suspect and preventing a potential biological weapon attack that Ali was allegedly planning. They expressed hope that the sentence would provide an opportunity for correctional officers to facilitate his rehabilitation.
