This archive report was first published on 6 January 2020.
On January 5, 2020, police in Nanyuki arrested three men suspected of being terrorists after they attempted to gain entry into the heavily guarded British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) compound.
According to Laikipia County Police Commander Maxwell Nyaema, the three men were spotted at around 5pm by security personnel at the facility situated on the outskirts of Nanyuki town on surveillance cameras as they tried to gain access through one of the gates.
The security personnel then alerted area Chief Duncan Wachira, who was unable to immediately identify the suspects. The Chief decided to report the matter at the Nanyuki Police Station, where he encountered the trio walking near the station and alerted officers on duty.
‘The Chief could not immediately identify them and decided to report the matter at the Nanyuki Police Station only for him to meet the trio walking near the station where he alerted officers on duty and they were promptly arrested,’ Nyaema said.
The suspects, identified as Kelvin Katitu Maweu (21), Joseph Karuri Kihonge (27), and Evans Kangara Wanjiku (23), were locked up at the Nanyuki Police Station for the night and handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) in Isiolo for further interrogation on January 6, 2020.
‘We could not take chances since the country is always on high alert against terror activities and that’s why we handed them over to ATPU to take up the investigations since they must have gone to the facility with sinister motives,’ Nyaema added.
