Al-Shabab militant

A Kenyan court on Friday sentenced a terror suspect to a total of 80 years for supporting terrorism activities and groups in the country.

The Nairobi Senior Principal Magistrate Joyce Gandani ruled that Abdirizak Muktar Edow was a member of Somalia-based Islamist group Al-Shabaab and had been supporting terrorism activities.

Muktar, 24, was arrested in June 2014 at the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The prosecution said he had been in constant communication with an Al-Shabaab member identified as Sheikh Hassan alias Blacky.

Hassan was gunned down by police in May 2014 in Mandera, northeast Kenya which borders Somalia.

He and an accomplice who escaped were allegedly preparing to carry out a terror attack.

The prosecution said Muktar had been operating a car hire business in Mandera and that eight grenades among other terror-related materials were seized from his vehicle.

The ruling said that in June 2014, Muktar was found with a mobile phone which contained articles aimed at instigating terror attacks. (Xinhua/NAN)