Behind the two similar heinous attacks by Al Shaabab cowards, had women who were directly involved in the planning prior to the attack.
In 2013 Westgate attack which claimed more than 67 innocent lives Samantha Lewthwaite was one of the key mastermind who remains a wanted fugitive by Kenyan security agents, while in 2019 Dusit D2 Hotel at Riverside Drive, Violet Kemunto Omwoyo was hurriedly arrested as a key suspect.
Here are some of the key similarities between the two female terror suspects
- Violet Kemunto Omwoyo, a Kenyan christened herself as ‘Al Shaabab Bride’ while Samantha Lewthwaite was dubbed as ‘White Widow’ by Western Media
- Violet was radicalized to join Al Shaabab terror group in Somalia, the same case with Samantha a Briton who joined Islam at 17 years before joining terror groups in Middle East
- Born in Christian families. Violet’s family background denotes Christianity similar to Samantha who after conversion became known as Sherafiyah Lewthwaite while Violet became known as Khadija Kemunto
- They both married and lived with very active terrorists. Violet’s alleged husband Ali Salim Gichunge died in 2019 during the satanic attack on innocents at Dusit D2 hotel while Samantha’s husband Germaine Lindsay who blew himself at a London in 2005 killing more than 26 people on the tube station
- There houses were actively used to plan terror attack, at the time Lindsay blew himself, Samantha coordinated her house to be blow out to hide evidence while at Violet’s house in Ruaka, a big hole was discovered that was used to hide dangerous weapons
- Violet and Samantha both lived in Mombasa. In 2012 Samantha was a key mastermind behind the bombing of a club that killed three when Italy and England were playing. In 2014 Samantha was also romoured to have been seen in Lamu, part of coastal region. While for Violet, her husband Ali Salim largely lived in Mombasa, they two are thought to have moved to Somalia before coming to Kenya to launch attacks
- Violet and Samantha, according to police reports, were actively living in Somalia before planning respective attacks in Kenya. While in Lamu in 2014, Samantha was believed to be enroute to Somalia, while police also noted that Violet was in Somalia moments to launching the unfortunate attack.
- It is so shocking that Violet and Samantha had links to Kenya Defense Forces and British Army respectively. Samantha’s dad Andrew Lewthwaite was a former British Army soldier while Violet’s would be father-in-law Ali Salim (Dad to Ali Salim Gichunge her husband) was a sergeant at Kenya Defense Forces
- Both heinous women went through university. Violet studied Journalism and Mass Communication and graduated from Masinde Muliro University in 2015 while Samantha studied for a politics and religion degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, but dropped out
- It is not clear whether Kemunto and Ali Salim had kids but Samantha had two kids with the suicide bomber Lindsay before death
