Brit pal in ‘White Widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite’s ‘terror cell’ jailed as hunt for jihadi bride continues
Brit Jermaine Grant was arrested in 2011 alongside his Kenyan wife and accused of planning to blow up a series of hotels in Mombasa, a coastal city popular with Western holidaymakers
A BRIT pal of the world's most wanted woman, "White Widow" Samantha Lewthwaite, has been convicted of possessing explosives cops say were linked to a hotel terror plot in Kenya.
In 2011, Brit Jermaine Grant was arrested alongside his Kenyan wife and accused of planning to blow up a series of hotels in Mombasa, a coastal city popular with Western holidaymakers.
At the time he was sharing an apartment with Lewthwaite, who is known as the "White Widow" for her marriage to one of the four 7/7 suicide bombers who attacked London in 2005.
Today, Grant, who is already serving a nine year jail term for forgery, was convicted in a Kenyan courtroom. He was convicted of possessing explosives, but avoided conviction on a charge of conspiracy to commit a felony.
While convicting him, magistrate Joyce Gandani said the prosecution had proven the Briton was aware of the explosives making chemicals and he was indeed in the process of making a device which could be deadly.
The magistrate also said it was evident Grant lived in the house where the chemicals and a flash disk which contained videos of how to make an explosives were recovered.
This was contrary to Grant’s defence that he had been invited to stay in the house as a guest as he prepared to marry his Kenyan partner and settle in the country.
Gandani said: "I find the excuse by the accused not convincing as it has been proven that he lived in the house and he was aware of what happened in that house which was in fact confirmed by several witnesses."
Grant was, however, acquitted conspiracy to improvise explosives with intent to commit an attack as the magistrate said there was no communication evidence between him and the other accused persons agreeing to commit the felony.
The magistrate further said it was evident Grant’s wife was not aware of his plans as she did not know him and only met during their wedding and stayed with him for a day after their wedding.
He is due to be sentenced in 15 days' time, and is likely to receive a jail term of at least seven years.
THE 'WHITE WIDOW'
Lewthwaite is a fugitive from justice in Kenya where she is wanted on charges of possession of explosives as well as ones relating to conspiracy to commit a felony for her role in the alleged hotel plot.
She is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, requesting her arrest with a view to being extradited.
She has also been accused of being a member of the Somalia-based Islamic militant group al-Shabaab and orchestrating grenade attacks on non-Muslim places of worship.
She is also thought be behind an attack on a bar in Mombasa which was filled with football fans during Euro 2012.
She married Germaine Lindsay in Aylesbury in October 2002; her parents, who separated in 1994, refused to attend the ceremony
On July 7 2005 Lindsay blew himself and 26 others up on a tube train travelling from King’s Cross to Russell Square. Lewthwaite was eight months pregnant at the time with their second child, a daughter.
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At the time she denied any prior knowledge of the attacks and said she was “horrified by the atrocities”. At the inquest though it was revealed she knew the ringleader of the bombers Mohammad Sidique Kahn before the attacks.
Police sources in Kenya alleged that the house where Grant was arrested belonged to Lewthwaite, who escaped the police dragnet after a tip off from Grant.
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