How joint FBI–DCI operations unmask suspects in Kenya

By Newsflash Team

Newsflash Team has unearthed how a series of covert operations, jointly executed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), have brought down high-profile fugitives hiding in the country.

From murder suspects on the run to drug barons and cyber-fraud masterminds, these cross-border missions reveal the intricate web of intelligence-sharing and precision arrests that have become the backbone of global manhunts.

One such case is that of Salman Subeyr Haji, who slipped into Kenya in 2024 while wanted worldwide for the murder of Mingyuan Huang in the US. His fingerprints had been found on a stolen vehicle captured on CCTV outside a Seattle Costco store, where Huang was gunned down.

Prosecutors in America say they have enough evidence to convict Haji not only for the killing but also for stealing a Porsche Cayenne from another victim. Kenyan DCI officers, acting on a joint intelligence brief with the FBI, arrested him on July 12 at Mkuu Court in Komarock Estate, Nairobi. Before sneaking into Kenya with the help of relatives, Haji had fled the US to Somalia, departing America aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.

A police source said: “He had been living with a close relative, rarely stepping out. He was shocked when we raided the home. This was a coordinated effort with US authorities.” Known by several aliases — including Markell Somo Jefferson and Salman Hagi — Haji kept a low profile for nearly 21 months.

A security guard at the court recalled seeing DCI officers in the area weeks before but declined to reveal more, saying his job was “just to open and close the gate.” Haji, 20, formerly of SeaTac, Washington, is accused of fatally shooting Huang on January 26, 2024, during an attempted robbery targeting her sister, Mingyong Huang.

Interpol issued a global alert in June 2024, urging his arrest anywhere in the world. On June 17, 2024, Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Igonga, sought a 21-day detention order to pave the way for extradition. Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Washington followed up with Red Notice No. A-1702/2-2025 on February 3, 2025.

Haji was eventually handed to an FBI team that had helped track him. The US Attorney’s Office confirmed the case was flagged by the carjacking task force for federal prosecution. He was granted bail of Sh646 million but failed to raise the amount, remaining in custody.

“This defendant is also accused of using a gun to steal a car from a woman in Seattle, who narrowly escaped. He must be held accountable,” prosecutors said. Court filings link Haji to accomplice Ilyiss Abdi, 20, who drove the getaway vehicle after the fatal shooting. Both face charges of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and attempted robbery.

The Kelvin Kang’ethe case

Kenyan national Kelvin Kang’ethe was accused of killing his girlfriend, Margaret Mbitu, in the US in October 2023. He fled to Kenya but was arrested in September 2024 and handed over to the FBI.

Kang’ethe had boarded a one-way flight to Nairobi on October 31, 2023, just before a Chelsea District Court warrant was issued. He was initially arrested on January 29, 2024, escaped custody days later, and was re-arrested. On September 2, 2024, FBI agents and a Massachusetts State Trooper escorted him from Nairobi to Boston.

The Akasha Brothers

Drug lords Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha were extradited in 2017 after a protracted court fight. Arrested in 2015 with Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri Goswami during an FBI sting, the brothers later pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine into the US.

Baktash is serving 25 years in prison, while Ibrahim is serving 23. The DEA had infiltrated the “Akasha organisation,” linking it to Afghan opium supply chains.

Sh300m fraud on US firms

In 2018, Kenyans Robert Mutua Muli, Amil Hassan Raage, and Jeffrey Sila Ndungi were arrested in Nairobi in an FBI-led operation.

They had tricked finance staff in Fairfax County, Virginia — part of the Washington DC metro area — into rerouting multimillion-shilling school computer payments to an Ohio bank account, resulting in losses exceeding Sh300 million.