The arrest of Kenyan national Salim Rashid Mohamed, alias “Chotara,” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo marked the end of a multi-year cross-border manhunt that stretched across Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Congo.
Kenyan security agencies had been pursuing Mohamed after he was charged over alleged links to the Somalia-based militant group al-Shabaab.
He was released on bond while the case was still before court, but failed to appear in October 2020. His disappearance prompted authorities to declare him wanted and triggered a wider search beyond Kenya’s borders.
Investigators said Mohamed is believed to have fled the country shortly after skipping court.
Intelligence assessments later indicated that he moved through Uganda before heading further south into Mozambique, where an insurgency linked to Islamic State militants was ongoing in the Cabo Delgado region.
At the time, Cabo Delgado had become a known hotspot for armed violence, with reports of foreign fighters joining local militant cells.
Security officials believed Mohamed could have been drawn into these networks, which operated across porous regional borders.
His movements were later traced to eastern Congo, where armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), were active.
The ADF had been linked by regional security agencies to the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), and the area had increasingly become a destination for suspected foreign fighters.
In January 2022, Congolese security forces arrested Mohamed during operations targeting suspected militants in eastern Congo.
Security reports indicated that he had entered the country through Uganda, alongside other individuals suspected of involvement in extremist networks operating across the region.
His arrest came amid a surge in attacks in eastern Congo, where the ADF had intensified operations, including bombings and raids that resulted in civilian deaths and displacement.
Authorities said the presence of foreign recruits complicated ongoing counterterrorism efforts in the region.
Security analysts described Mohamed’s case as part of a broader pattern involving individuals who faced terrorism-related charges in Kenya and later resurfaced in conflict zones outside the country.
The case highlighted how suspects moved across regional borders with relative ease, especially through remote and poorly monitored routes.
It also raised concerns among security agencies about gaps in monitoring individuals released on bond in terrorism-related cases, particularly when they disappear before trial concludes.
Following his arrest, Mohamed was taken into custody by Congolese authorities as investigations continued into his alleged role within regional militant networks and possible connections to transnational extremist operations.