Thursday, November 22, 2012
By Thomas Whittle
NAIROBI, Nov. 22 — Kenyan police have arrested three suspects in connection with Sunday’s mini bus bombing which killed 10 people and injured more than 30 others.
Regional police commander Moses Ombati on Thursday told journalists in the capital Nairobi that the suspects are all Kenyans and are being interrogated in order to provide further information on the key planners.
“We have three suspects in custody who are assisting the police to trace the financiers and planners of the terrorists attack,” Ombati said.
“However, we cannot reveal the identity of suspects as they could become witnesses later on. Owners of buses can reduce the threat of terrorism by implementing tight screening measures before any passenger boards the vehicle,” he said.
Police particularly warned against the laxity in the screening of cars for explosives at all shopping malls and any business or social gatherings with at least 10 people at any given moment that these might be vulnerable to attacks.
Kenya sent troops into southern Somalia to battle Al-Shabaab rebels in October 2011 after repeated attacks, including the kidnapping of a French woman and a British tourist and the killing of her husband, damaged its key tourism industry.
“I urge all Kenyans to be extra vigilant and volunteer any information that will help us fight terrorism and other sorts of crime,” the regional police commander said.
He said the police are yet to arrest the prime suspects involved in the latest attack in the capital Nairobi. Ombati appealed to all Kenyans to remain vigilant and volunteer any information that may be useful to the police in curbing terrorism.
“Through screening, you can discover or scare away would be terrorists from carrying out an attack,” he said. He added that most of the bombs that have been used in terror acts are assembled locally.
The attack on the vehicle on Sunday is blamed on Al-Shabaab sympathizers, but the police have warned residents and travelers to be extra vigilant and volunteer any information that may assist in the investigations.
Kenya has blamed Somalia’s Al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabaab militants for a spate of attacks in Kenya in recent years especially in Nairobi, Mombasa and northern regions.
However, the insurgents have not publicly claimed responsibly for the Sunday attacks which sparked inter-ethnic violence for the two days. Relative calm returned to Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood on Wednesday.
Dozens of people were injured during the clashes between ethnics Somalis blamed for increased grenade and bomb attacks in the city and Kenyans residing in neighboring slums.
Business premises operating along Juja road closed as police engaged the rioting youths in running battles for the better day of the day. Business owners feared that the protesting youths might attack them and loot their shops.
“Our investigations indicate that the terrorists are recruited and trained within a short period of time,” Ombati told journalists in Nairobi.
“We are therefore appeal to members of the public to assist security agents to fight crime by reporting any suspicious people in their neighbors,” the police official said.
The East African nation has experienced a string of attacks on churches and public places in the recent past, blaming them on the insurgents from Somalia who have vowed to attack Kenya because Kenyan military forces entered Somalia last year to fight against the group.
The threats are hovering over Kenya, with many countries warning their citizens to be cautious as they go about their businesses in Nairobi.
“We are ready to receive any information in confidence,” Ombati said and called for heightened vigilance amongst members of the public when they visit crowded places as the information we have indicates that terrorists are planning further attacks.
As the war on Al-Shabaab heightens, Kenyans have been asked to cooperate with police to defeat threats of terror attack, which hangover the East African nation.
In the Central Business District, it is now the norm for people to be frisked and undergo various checks as they enter business premises.
Ombati said that businesses should take screening a step further by frisking clients. “A test we have carried out in supermarkets has indicated that the metal detectors used are not able to reveal the presence of firearms or explosives,” he said.
He noted that members of the public support fully tightened security as it will ensure their safety. He added that no public place is safe. “Even churches have become targets of terrorist’s attacks and so the public should remain vigilant,” Ombati said.
Ombati said that the police department is working hand-in-hand with other security organs including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the National Intelligence Service in fighting terrorism in the country.
He said preliminary investigations have shown the attackers trailed the minibus on the motorbike up to the point where their accomplice alighted and later detonated it using a remote.
“These people assemble the bombs in houses which are known to Kenyans. We urge Kenyans to be cautious and cooperate with the security agencies in efforts to tame the terrorism.”
Kenya’s government says armed attacks and kidnappings threaten the country’s tourism industry — a key driver of the economy — that had bounced back after near collapse following post-election violence four years ago in which more than 1,200 people died.
Kenya’s security forces have beefed up security in the capital, Nairobi, and its environs over fresh threats from terrorists.