Police arrest four terrorism suspects
What you need to know:
- The four people are being detained at Buruburu Police Station.
- Since the operation began in April, more than 4,000 people have been arrested. Some were deported to Somalia, while many more were sent to refugee camps in the north of the country.
Anti-terrorism detectives in Nairobi are holding four people who were found with bomb-making materials.
The three men and a woman were picked up from a house in Majengo on Saturday night.
Nairobi Police Commander Benson Kibui said the materials could be assembled into powerful explosives.
“They were arrested after our officers were tipped-off by the public. We are interrogating them to establish their motives,” he said.
Police said they found 11 mobile phones in the house. Handsets are commonly used by terrorists as bomb detonators.
“Our officers also found 34 rolls of bhang,” added Mr Kibui.
The four people are being detained at Buruburu Police Station.
The arrest comes months after police launched an operation to rid the city of terrorists and their cells.
4,000 people
Since the operation began in April, more than 4,000 people have been arrested. Some were deported to Somalia, while many more were sent to refugee camps in the north of the country.
Some Muslim leaders and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) have expressed discomfort at the manner in which the operation is being carried out, accusing police of high-handedness and corruption.
The operation was launched in April in reaction to a series of explosions targeting matatus and businesses.
In the latest attacks on May 16, 12 people were killed and 78 injured in twin bombings at the busy Gikomba market.
Two others died in a similar explosion in a passenger bus on Thika Superhighway.
The operation was concentrated in Eastleigh and extended to other parts of Nairobi.
Last week, Ipoa released a damning report blaming police for harassment, extortion and assault during the operation in Eastleigh.
Its chairman, Mr Macharia Njeru, said the watchdog had singled out 29 police officers whom it would recommend for prosecution.
