Kenyan court denies bail to four women linked to terrorism

A Kenyan court on Wednesday denied bail to four women who were arrested as they tried to cross into Somalia on suspicion of trying to join the Al Shabaab terror group.

Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo said the accused could jump bail considering the gravity of the offence they were facing, Xinhua news agency reported.

The suspects -- Khadija Abdulkadir, Maryam Aboud, Umulkhayr Abdulla and Halima Ali -- have however denied being members of Al Shabaab.

While making the ruling, Odenyo said the prosecution was determined to deal with the case expeditiously to avoid delay, adding that the accused might proceed with the offences if out on bond.

The four were charged on May 6 with being members of the Somali militant group, following 30 days of investigations.

Their lawyers, however, urged the court to release their clients on bail, pending the hearing of the case. The court has set the mention of the case on June 12.

Mombasa county Commissioner Nelson Marwa said the four were arrested in Elwak and Machakos towns as they attempted to sneak into Somalia through the border to join the militants.

The four suspects, three Kenyan and one Tanzanian, are all university students below 21 years old.

Marwa said the Tanzanian suspect claimed to be a student at the International University of Africa in Khartoum, but had no visa to prove the claim.

Police also say the four were going to be married to Al Shabaab militants having been lured through social media to be recruited as suicide bombers.