NAIROBI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Kenyan court on Friday allowed police to continue holding five suspects arrested over Tuesday's hotel attack for a month to allow for complete investigation.
Prosecutors had applied to have Joel Ng'ang'a Wainaina, Oliver Kanyango Muthee, Gladys Kaari Justus, Guleid Abdihakim and Osman Ibrahim detained for 30 days to enable the police to conclude investigations into the attack on a luxury hotel and office complex in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Ng'ang'a, a taxi driver, is alleged to have ferried attackers to several locations while coordinating their attacks. Muthee also transported one of the attackers to DusitD2 Hotel, while Kaari, who is an M-Pesa money transfer service agent, sent money.
The police said Abdihakim communicated with the attackers while Ibrahim was captured by a CCTV talking to one of the attackers.
Noordin Haji, director of Public Prosecution, said investigators have covered considerable ground in their investigations, adding that he was satisfied that there is probable cause to continue with investigations against all the suspects.
"The investigations into the matter are complex and transitional and would therefore require sufficient time and resources to uncover the entire criminal syndicate," Haji said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
He said he has appointed a team of prosecutors to offer technical guidance to the investigators on a continuous basis so as to ensure that investigations are meticulous and fast-tracked.
At least 21 people were killed and several others injured in the attack Tuesday at Dusit hotel, which is located within a leafy business complex in Nairobi.
Al-Shabab terror group claimed responsibility, saying its fighters killed 47 people inside the hotel. The group cited U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as the reason for the attack.
