Friday July 14, 2023
Abdirahman Shaffi Mkwatili and Sadam Jafari Kitia following their arrest in Moyale while on their way to join al-Shabaab in Somalia on July 12. SUPPLIED
Nairobi (HOL) - Kenyan detectives have arrested six foreign nationals in recent weeks, including five Tanzanians and one Ugandan, who were travelling to join the al-Shabaab militia group in Somalia.
The latest arrests were two Tanzanians, 30-year-old Sadam Jafari Kitia and 25-year-old Abdirahman Shaffi Mkwatili, who were apprehended on Wednesday in Moyale, a city on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. The pair confessed to being recruited in Tanzania to join the militia group after they were found lost, with a Swahili-scribbled notebook as their guide.
Two weeks ago, three Tanzanians - Abdul Saif Salimu, Zuberi Ngare Mtondoo, and Seif Abdalla Juma - were taken into custody in Garissa. "This is after members of the public reported their presence at Karakora area within Garissa county, where they were stranded after getting lost," Kenya' Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.
A Ugandan national was also arrested in Liboi en route to Somalia, thanks to a tip-off from the local community.
The police have noticed a pattern among recruits, who avoid asking locals for directions or engaging in communication to avoid raising suspicions. They also warned that foreign recruits are often used as suicide bombers in terror attacks, as has happened in Kenya.
In light of these developments, security agencies said they are increasing surveillance and urging the public and public service vehicle operators to report any suspicious activity as part of their ongoing efforts to curb terrorism.
Separately, a Mombasa court ruled on Friday that four individuals arrested in 2016 have charges to answer under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). The defence hearing for two of them is slated for late August 2023.