Tuesday, December 27, 2011
advertisements
Six suspects linked to active terrorist cells in Nairobi and Mombasa have been arrested in a foiled plan to launch a terrorist attack in the two cities over the festive period, the police chief said here on Friday."I am aware there were (terrorist) threats to Mombasa and Nairobi.
"We have arrested six people with links to the Al-Shabaab terrorist cells in these areas," Kenya’s Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere told journalists after visiting hospitalised police officers wounded on the battlefront.
Iteere has called on Kenyans to be extra vigilant during the festive season as the country’s defense forces engage members of the Al-Shabaab militants blamed for a series of abductions on the Kenyan soil.
The police chief said his department has put in place elaborate measures to deter acts of criminality and urged bars, restaurants and hotels owners to screen revelers visiting their precincts.
He also called on motorists to be diligent as they ferry Kenyans to various destination across the country to prevent road carnage.
Speaking at a separate news conference, Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Njoroge Ndirangu has assured residents of enhanced security during this festive season.
Ndirangu said that security in the city has been tightened in the wake of the security threats posed in the country by organized gangs and the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militia.
"I would like to thank all the Nairobi residents for their continued cooperation and support to the security agencies by providing vital information which has led to reduced occurrences of serious crime within the city centre and environs," Njoroge told journalists in Nairobi.
Ndirangu cautioned motorists and public service vehicle operators against careless driving so as to reduce road carnage, noting that 42 people lost their lives in Nairobi alone in the last one month.
Ndirangu said that the deaths resulted from 42 fatal accidents out of a total of 219 accidents reported to the traffic department.
He directed all liquor outlets to adhere to the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010, saying those who will flout the law will be arrested and prosecuted.
Ndirangu also warned the public against lighting fireworks during these festivities since criminals may take advantage of the sound from the fireworks to commit crimes.
Speaking earlier, Iteere gave little hints about the details of the terrorist plans to attack the tourist havens in Mombasa and shopping malls in Nairobi.
The Police chief said the police were on high alert for any potential threats.
It was also not immediately clear if the arrests were linked to a plot by the Al-Shabaab to target Kenyan Defense Minister Yussuf Haji and Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim.
Somali rebels have targeted the Kenyan security forces on patrol in the northeastern region of Garissa with improvised explosive devices.
Several police officers have been wounded in separate attacks during patrols.
Police in the Eastern town of Isiolo, believed to have served as a key recruitment base for the Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia, said a series of seizures of arms cache was a sign of a thriving illegal arms trade in the region.
"There is an illegal fire-arms trade in the region," District Police Commander Augustine Nthumbi said late on Friday.
One suspect was arrested.
Police recovered five M16 rifles during the raid in Isiolo town, the area police chief said.
"We were able to recover the five M16 rifles.
"It is an indication of an illegal trade on fire-arms which is on the increase," Nthumbi said.
The security operation also left dozens of refugees injured by police in the Dadaab refugee camps, northeastern Kenya, following six explosions since early November, one of which killed a policeman on Dec. 19.
Dadaab residents said the police arrested dozens of refugees and beat up others in the operation, which started in the afternoon of Dec. 20 and extended into most of the next day. Residents said the police were looking for explosives.
Earlier, Kenyan troops on the battlefront in Southern Somalia attributed increased intensity of armed raids carried out by the Al-Shabaab on an attempt to win-back arms seized during raids by the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) troops on the ground.
Since Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia two months ago, north-eastern Kenya has been hit by a series of blasts, many targeting local security forces.
Kenyan officials blame the Al-Shabaab insurgents or their sympathisers for the bombings and shootings, although armed bandits also operate in the border areas.
Gunmen seized two Spaniards working for Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) from Dadaab in October and are thought to have taken them to Somalia.
The kidnapping of the Spaniards was one of the incidents that spurred Kenya to send troops into Somalia to fight the Al Qaeda- linked Al-Shabaab militia in mid-October.
Several attacks believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the militant group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them.