Arrest of Iranian Embassy Vehicle Occupants in Kenya Following 'Filming of Israeli Embassy'

A court in Kenya on Thursday, December 2, tried two Iranians on terrorism charges for filming the Israeli embassy with a mobile phone. According to the Associated Press, the two Iranians, named Seyyed Nasrollah Ibrahim and Abdolhossein Ghali, were arrested on Tuesday in a vehicle with diplomatic plates from the Iranian embassy after taking pictures of the Israeli embassy in Nairobi. Based on this report, the two Iranians had gone to visit two other Iranians who have been sentenced to 15 years in prison and were arrested on their return. Duncan Ondimu, the prosecutor, stated that the two Iranians were filming the Israeli embassy with a mobile phone. The local driver of the Iranian embassy vehicle has also been arrested. In 2013, a court in Kenya sentenced two Iranians suspected of being members of the Quds Force to life imprisonment for plotting terrorist attacks against Western targets. This sentence was reduced to 15 years on appeal. The two defendants, named Ahmad Aboulfatihi and Seyyed Mansour Mousavi, were arrested in June 2012. It has been reported that 15 kilograms of explosives were discovered from them. Kenyan officials say that 85 kilograms of other explosives that had been brought into the country remain undiscovered. In 2015, two Kenyans confessed to collaborating with Iranian security agencies to plan attacks against Western targets. According to the head of the Kenyan police, these two confessed to being spies for the Quds Force. In this context, the Iranian embassy reacted by stating that the detained individuals have no connection to Iran. Kenya reduced the prison sentence of two Iranians accused of terrorism. The Iranian embassy responded: the detained individuals in Kenya have no connection to Iran. Kenya reduced the prison sentence of two Iranians accused of terrorism.