Nairobi, Nov 28: A Kenyan High Court judge today ordered the release of two suspects charged with murder over last November's bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, a year to the day after the attack which killed 18 people. Justice Kaplana Rawal ordered the release of Faiz Abdalla Shariff and Mohamed Ali Hassan, two of nine suspects in the bombing who appeared in court today, after the state prosecutor withdrew charges against them.

"The proceedings of the hearings of this case have been terminated and the accused persons are free to go," Rawal said.

"The attorney general, after evaluating the evidence in totality and taking into account the fact that investigating terrorism takes a long time and in view of the faceless nature of the people involved, it has been found necessary that the charges against the accused persons be withdrawn," prosecutor John Gacivih said. The state also reduced the charges, from murder to consipiracy to commit a felony, against three others accused in the bombing: Mohammed Kubwa Seif, said Saggar Ahmed and Salmin Mohamed Khamisi.
"This is being done strictly in view of the evidence available. The three, whose charges (of murder) have been withdrawn, will be charged with conspiracy to commit a felony in a lower court," Gacivih said. Bureau Report