Kenyan risks death penalty in Ethiopia over terror plotBy ARGAW ASHINE | Tuesday, May 22  2012 at  09:18

A Kenyan national is among 11 individuals held in an Ethiopian jail for alleged involvement in an Al-Qaeda backed bombing plot.

Ethiopia has a strict anti-terrorism law that prescribes anywhere between 20 years imprisonment to the death penalty for anyone convicted under it.

According to Ethiopian officials, Kenyan citizen Hassan Jarsoo crossed into Ethiopia from neighbouring Somalia to carry out a bomb attack against the government.

The other ten suspects are all Somali citizens and are alleged to belong to a hidden Al-Qaeda cell that has been planning attacks, although it was not clear if it was the same plot.

According to the court charge, some of the held Somalis were members of the Somali Transitional Federal Government army.

Hassan and five co-defendants appeared in the federal high court for the first time on May 18 where the prosecution presented part of its evidence against them.

Hassan reportedly admitted all the charges levied against him but other defendants have denied their involvement in any terror plot.

The court ordered further investigations on the case and will hold another session next week.