Blogger held over hacking claims

Police have arrested a Nairobibased
journalist and blogger
over claims he hacked into
the International Criminal Court’s
website.
Mr Dennis Itumbi was arrested in
Embu and detained at the Muthaiga
Police Station on Thursday night,
according to Criminal Investigations
Department director Ndegwa
Muhoro.
Mr Muhoro, however, could not
confirm whether he will be charged
in court.
“We are still investigating his
involvement in the hacking and it
is too early to say when he will be
arraigned in court,” Mr Muhoro told
Nation yesterday.
Police and the Witness Protection
Agency are currently investigating
the claims by ICC prosecutor Luis
Moreno-Ocampo, of e-mail hacking
and threatening of witnesses.
An entry in the Occurrence Book
at the Muthaiga Police Station
showed the journalist was arrested
for allegedly accessing classified
documents.
Mr Itumbi was removed from the
cells at Muthaiga yesterday morning
under tight security and taken to his
residence in Thindigwa where the
detectives searched his house and
confiscated his laptop.
As he was being escorted from
his house to the police vehicle, Mr
Itumbi told journalists he had been
questioned over some documents
related to the ICC cases.
He also said he was interrogated
about a video clip he had posted on his
twitter account claiming that Prime
Minister Raila Odinga had threatened
electoral boss Isaack Hassan
and other commissioners.
The video captured a conversation
between the chairman and two other
commissioners before addressing a
press conference where they allegedly
admit to receiving threats from the
ODM camp on the announcement of
the election date.
The blogger added that he was also
to be questioned over the disclosure
in Parliament of documents allegedly
from the British Government showing
plans to have the ICC indict President
Kibaki when he leaves office.
But the CID director refused to
comment on Mr Itumbi’s claims.
By the time of going to press, the Mr
Itumbi was being held at Kileleshwa
Police Station.
Concerns have been raised over
protection of key witnesses in the
cases pending before The Haguebased
court. It has been alleged that
the court’s e-mail accounts have been
hacked into for witnesses’ evidence
and communication between them
and the Office of the Prosecutor.
Attorney-General Githu Muigai last
week ordered the police to investigate
claims by Mr Moreno-Ocampo
of e-mail hacking and intimidation
of witnesses.
Prof Muigai said he had received a
complaint from Mr Moreno-Ocampo
that there was “hacking of e-mail accounts
of a person of interest” to his
office. The ICC prosecutor had also
complained of witness intimidation