Very difficult to follow what is happening in Malindi court regarding the trial of the 3 men accused of kidnapping Silvia Romano.
Either no English media (or Kenyan media) is writing about the case, or the search engines are blocking English-language webpages featuring the case.
I therefore have no alternative but to depend on Italian language websites that are featuring the trial. Not easy because online translator is not perfect. Anyway, this is what happened in court on Friday, 30 August 2019:
1. Prosecutor Alice Mathangani asked Judge Julie Oseko to change the charge for the 3 accused and to suspend their bonds, asking for them to be charged with terrorism.
2. Case comes back to court on Monday, September 2 in the morning.
3. Police Investigator Peter Muirithi opined that the 3 defendants are too dangerous to be released on bond.
4. Chief Magistrate Oseko allowed bond to be cancelled temporarily. The lawyers for the defendants have appealed, and so on 2 September there will be a further hearing to determine whether the correct decision was made.
Therefore all 3 defendants are now in jail.
I have also seen at least 2 Italian language websites (that have been featured earlier on this thread) claiming that Ms Romano is likely in Somalia, or Tanzania!
NOTE: 2 suspects are still missing. Were they killed by Romano’s rescuers?
I believe that Ms Romano’s alleged illegal ivory trade with the KWS rangers was meant to create rapport so Mossad could then move to the next stage.
Unfortunately, the people she was dealing with were too greedy and decided to kidnap her for ransom. They might have argued that, “this lady is an international criminal, therefore, if we kidnap her, her friends will pay ransom without going to the police.”
However, Mossad agents working with Green Arava nearby rescued her, and probably killed her kidnappers.
Green Arava is involved with heavy machinery and they probably have regular cargo movements by plane to and from Kenya, either from Mombasa or Malindi airports nearby.
They could have moved Romano out of the country using one of those planes, disguised as someone else, or as cargo.
If this part “
Mossad probably killed her kidnappers” is true, then it would mean that it is very likely that one or more of the suspects in court witnessed the rescue, and managed to escape.
That is why this case might become very interesting.
Next hearing: Monday morning, September 2, 2019.
EDIT: I have seen “The Star” newspaper has an article about the story, written 3 hours ago (more than 24 hours since the matter was concluded in court): “Three key suspects in connection with the abduction of Italian aid worker Silvia Romano will remain in custody pending ruling on whether bail which had earlier been granted will be cancelled, a Malindi court has ruled.
The three suspects, Ibrahim Omar, Abdulla Wario, and Moses Liwali on Friday, August 30, appeared before the Malindi Chief Magistrate Court on counts of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act within Kenya.”
the-star.co.ke/news/2019-08-31-dpp-wants-bail-granted-to-suspects-in-silvia-romano-kidnap-case-cancelled/