This archive report was first published on 6 January 2020.
Kenya's security agencies are on high alert following the arrest of suspected Al Shabaab terrorists in two different army bases within the past 24 hours.
On Sunday evening, detectives arrested three suspicious individuals attempting to storm the British army base in Laikipia County. Rift Valley Police Commander Marcus Ocholla stated that even though the suspects were unarmed, they had sinister motives.
‘We cannot provide further details at this time, but the matter is being handled by the anti-terror unit,’ Ocholla said.
The commander further revealed that the suspects were arrested following a tip-off from the public.
‘The suspects have undergone thorough interrogation to determine their plans,’ he said, as quoted by The Standard. He also stated that they cannot rule out terrorism and suspect that the three had a surveillance team before they were intercepted.
On Monday morning, police arrested a suspected terrorist conducting surveillance at the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) airbase in Eastleigh. According to the Counter-Terrorism and National Security Intelligence (CTNSIS), the suspect was a Canadian citizen of Somali descent.
‘A Male Somali-Canadian arrested in Eastleigh area of the Capital after he was intercepted conducting surveillance on KDF Air Force Base,’ CTNSIS shared the alert on social media.
The arrests come in the wake of Sunday’s foiled attack on the Camp Simba army base in Manda Bay, Lamu County. The United States has confirmed that it lost three Department of Defence employees during the early morning attack, while two more were injured. The terrorists also destroyed at least four planes and several armoured vehicles.
