Two men were given a 30-year prison sentence by a Kenyan court for assisting al-Shabab fighters in a deadly attack in Nairobi that resulted in the deaths of 21 people in 2019.
Hussein Mohammed Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali were convicted on Thursday of helping two of the attackers use fake identity cards to flee from a refugee camp. Additionally, the group received financial aid from the pair.
Terrorists cannot carry out their activities without the aid of financiers, facilitators, and sympathisers, the judge said during sentencing, underscoring that their support made the attack possible.
According to Kavedza, “The convicts may not have physically wielded the weapons that caused the victims’ injuries, but their facilitation directly made attackers who were heavily armed with guns, grenades, and suicide vests” be able to use them.
21 lives were lost, she continued, acknowledging claims from survivors about their ongoing psychological struggles. “This was not a crime with isolated harm.
She claimed that the attack left behind “deep emotional scars.”
Last month, Abdile and Ali were found guilty of facilitating and conspiring to carry out a “terrorist” act. The men have 14 days to file an appeal after the charges have been denied.
attack history
On January 15, 2019, when gunmen stormed the highly regarded DusitD2 complex and opened fire, the assault started.
More than 12 hours of operation were launched by security forces. Following that, the government announced that the attackers had all been killed.
Al-Shabab, an armed organization affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that it was retaliation for President Trump’s acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The massacre at the Westgate mall in 2013 resulted in the deaths of 67 people, marking Nairobi’s first major attack since that time. 148 people were killed when al-Shabab attacked Garissa University in 2015, according to al-Shabab.
High-end venues in the capital have increased security, including pedestrian and vehicle checks, since Westgate.
Like Westgate, the DusitD2 complex was targeted by wealthy Kenyans and foreign nationals, who were frequently al-Shabab-sab.
In response to Western efforts to isolate Indonesia following its war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto.
Putin and Prabowo signed a strategic partnership declaration at a meeting on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
An agreement was signed to create a 2 billion euro ($2.29 billion) investment fund between Danatara, Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, whose CEOs were also present in Saint Petersburg.
Following the discussions, Prabowo stated in a statement that the relationship between the two nations was “getting stronger again.”
“I had a productive, warm, and intense meeting with President Putin today. He claimed that there have been significant improvements in all of the areas of economics, technical cooperation, trade, investment, and agriculture.
Additionally, Putin acknowledged Indonesia’s full membership in the emerging economies group known as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).
At a 2023 summit in Johannesburg, key BRICS nations like Brazil, Brazil, China, and Xi Jinping, the president of South Africa, Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, and Sergei Lavrov, the head of Russia’s foreign minister, are present.
“Our ties to Indonesia are steadily developing. The turnover of trade is increasing. According to Russian state news agency TASS, “we have good prospects in a number of promising and very interesting areas of cooperation.”
Agriculture, space, and energy are among the areas covered by this, as is technical assistance from the military. Our communication is excellent, and it is expanding, he continued.
Indonesia is attempting to boost power generation while limiting its carbon emissions because its largest economy, which primarily relies on coal, has a large dependence on coal. Despite this, Indonesia has a sizable supply of renewable energy sources like hydro, solar, and geothermal.
With a neutral foreign policy, Jakarta has struck a delicate balance between its regional rivals, China and the United States.
Instead of relying heavily on Western partners, Prabowo, who came to power last year, has looked to diversify the nation’s alliances.
After holding their first joint naval drills together last year, his decision to skip the G7 summit in Canada this week in favor of discussions with Putin sparked concerns about a tilt toward Moscow, according to analysts.
Despite a law that required a sale or shutdown, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that extends the deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest its US assets from the short-form video app TikTok by another 90 days.
The president stated in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social on Thursday that “I just signed the Executive Order extending the deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025).
Otherwise, Thursday would have been the day of the ban.
As we work with Vice President [JD] Vance’s Office, we are appreciative of President Trump’s leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok is accessible to more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million US businesses, according to a statement from TikTok.
The platform’s office has engaged in negotiations with Vance.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was passed in April 2024, required TikTok to cease operations in the US on January 19 unless ByteDance completed the sale of the app’s US assets or demonstrated significant progress in the direction of a sale.
The Supreme Court upheld the ban after the Supreme Court heard a challenge in the case in January.
third expansion
The president has given the deadline a third time this year. Trump opted not to impose the law when he began his second term as president on January 20. He first extended the deadline to early April, and then again to June 19 last month.
Democrats’ senators argued that Trump is not authorized by law to extend the deadline and that a proposed deal would not meet the legal requirements.
The app’s sale or shutdown, according to the White House’s statement on Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated to reporters on Tuesday that “President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark.”
She added that the administration will spend three months ensuring that TikTok users can continue using the site with assurance that their data is secure when the deal is closed.
Trump stated in March that he would be willing to lower China’s tariffs in exchange for a sale of the app by ByteDance.
This spring, TikTok’s US operations were being merged into a new US-based company that would be majority-owned and run by US investors, according to a deal that had been in the works. After China declared it would not support the deal due to the tariffs the Trump administration had imposed, that was put on hold.
According to US Senator Chris Van Hollen, Trump has viewed his administration as a “junior partner” for Netanyahu.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen claims that US President Donald Trump has “subcontracted” his administration to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Middle East goals.
Senator Van Hollen tells host Steve Clemons that the president is considering expanding his involvement in Israel’s attack on Iran, and that the idea that “there is a real risk that the United States will get dragged deeper and deeper into this war” is misunderstood.
Who: Bayern Munich (Germany) vs Boca Juniors (Argentina) What: FIFA Club World Cup, Group C, Matchday 2 Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, United States When: Kickoff is at 9pm on Friday (01:00 GMT on Saturday)
How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 5pm local (21:00 GMT on Friday) on Al Jazeera Sport.
Group C leaders Bayern Munich clash with Argentina mega club Boca Juniors in the second matchday for each side at the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) in the United States.
Victory for Bayern would ensure they qualify for the knockout stages, beginning on June 28.
After a draw in their opening match, Boca Juniors have it all to play for if they also want to progress to the last 16 of the tournament and will need to defeat Bayern to draw level on points at the top of Group C.
How did Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors fare in their opening Group C fixtures?
Bayern Munich began their campaign in record-breaking fashion, becoming the first team to score double digits in a single CWC game when they thumped Auckland City 10-0 on Sunday.
German international Jamal Musiala marked his return from injury with a brilliant second-half hat-trick in a commanding team display.
Boca Juniors played out a 2-2 draw with Benfica on Monday in a feisty encounter that resulted in three red cards.
The Buenos Aires side were ahead 2-0 just before half-time but let the three points slip after squandering the lead to the Portuguese side.
Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala scores a hat-trick against Auckland City [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]
Why were Boca’s Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal given harsh suspensions?
Boca Juniors players Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal were handed four-match bans by FIFA after being sent off in their CWC opener, a spokesperson for the Argentinian club said on Wednesday.
Boca disagreed with the sanctions imposed on their players after Benfica’s Andrea Belotti received a two-match ban for catching Ayrton Costa in the head with a high boot in the 72nd minute.
“We have already contacted FIFA to submit an appeal,” a club spokesperson said.
Spanish midfielder Herrera, who was subbed off due to a muscle injury, was shown a red card in the 45th minute after protesting to Mexican referee Cesar Ramos from the bench over a penalty awarded to the Portuguese side.
Defender Figal was sent off in the 88th minute with a straight red card for a foul on Florentino Luis when the match was tied at 2-2.
Mexican referee Cesar Ramos shows a red card to Boca Juniors’ Argentinian defender Nicolas Figal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group C match against Portugal’s Benfica at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on June 16, 2025 [Chandan Khanna/AFP]
Have Bayern and Boca ever played before?
The teams last met on November 27, 2001, in the knockout stage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan.
The contest was billed as a clash of the super clubs between the then-two-time Copa Libertadores champion Boca Juniors taking on the might of the newly crowned UEFA Champions League winners, Bayern Munich.
Bayern beat Boca 1-0 in extra time courtesy of a 109th minute strike by Samuel Kuffour.
Friday’s match will be only the fourth time they’ve played in 100 years.
Samuel Kuffour scores the game-winning goal against Boca Juniors on November 27, 2001, in Tokyo, Japan [Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts via Getty Images]
Team News: Bayern Munich
Out: Hiroki Ito (metatarsal fracture), Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament tear), Kim Min-jae (foot injury) Doubtful: none
Manager Vincent Kompany has a full squad available to him and is expected to field a similar starting XI to the side that thrashed Auckland.
Star forward Harry Kane, who failed to score in the goal fest against Auckland City, is again expected to lead the line.
Boca Juniors manager Miguel Russo has two large holes to fill with former Manchester United star Herrera and Figal both suspended until the semifinal stage of the tournament.
Tomas Belmonte replaced Herrera in the midfield against Benfica and is a near-certainty to get the start in the key central midfield role. Figal’s role in the back four will likely be occupied by Marcos Rojo.
Russo is expected to deploy the same 4-2-3-1 set-up, just as he did against Benfica.
Down two starters, Boca Juniors manager Miguel Russo, left, will have some tough choices to make on team selection in the match against Bayern Munich on June 20, 2025 [File: Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images]
Bayern Munich (all competitions, most recent first):
W-W-D-W-W
Boca Juniors (all competitions, most recent first):
W-L-D-W-L
Where will the match be played?
The match will be played at the 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
The venue is home to the legendary Miami Dolphins NFL franchise and stages the Miami Tennis Open annually.
The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami [File: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports via Reuters]
What the teams had to say
Manuela Neuer, Bayern Munich goalkeeper:
“We’re definitely expecting a good atmosphere. We saw how the match against Benfica went,” Neuer told fcbayern.com.
“We’re getting more and more focused as the game approaches. In terms of analysis of the opposition too, we know exactly what we’ll need in the match. We keep increasing the intensity before reducing it a little on the day before the match because the temperatures too play a role.”
Miguel Russo, Boca Juniors manager:
“We have to be up to the task. It will be a physical match like [against Benfica].
“They’re [Bayern Munich are] a big opponent. Historically, they’ve won a lot. But Argentine football is big too. … We welcome these challenges. But we have to know that Friday’s game will be tougher than today’s [vs Benfica].”
How much is the prize money for the Club World Cup?
The total prize pot is $1bn with the champions earning up to $125m.
About half of the $1bn will be divided between the 32 clubs with the amount per club based on sporting and commercial criteria. It means that clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid will receive a greater percentage than smaller clubs in a model FIFA developed with the European Club Association.
A further $475m will be awarded on a performance-related basis. Hence, the team with the most wins over a potential seven matches will bank more cash with a maximum pot of $125m available.
