Police arrest suspect behind spate of attacks in Tana River

Xinhua
Saturday, May 26, 2012

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The Kenyan police have arrested a man whom they believe is behind a spate of grenade attacks in the northern part of the east African nation.

Regional police commander, Leo Nyongesa, confirmed on Friday that the suspect was arrested on Thursday with AK47 assault rifle and 37 rounds of ammunitions in Madogo division in Tana-River County in coastal region.

He said the middle-aged man is believed to be among a gang linked in the recent explosion that have rocked Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp which has also compromised the security of the region bordering the war-torn Somalia.

"The middle-aged man was arrested by the police following a public tip-off.

"We believe that he is behind the recent grenade attacks that have occurred in Garissa town. He has also been terrorizing residents," Nyongesa told journalists in Garissa.

At least three people lost their lives and more than 10 others injured this month in a spate of grenade attacks in the region which is near Somalia border.

On Thursday night at least six people were critically injured after unknown people hurled grenades into a food kiosk in Hagedera refugee camp.

The attack that came barely a week after another attack killed a administration police officer and rendered three of his colleague hospitalized, occurred a few meters from the scene of the previous attack last week against security officers on patrol duty.

The attackers believed to be remnants of Al-Shabaab by security intelligence, targeted business premises owned or frequented by non-Somalis from other parts of the country, who flocked to the refugee camps for business opportunities.

On Tuesday, four military officers were injured and vehicle destroyed after their car overran a landmine which was planted on the way to a watering point when they were heading to fetch water in Mandera border district.

Nyongesa said the suspect was arrested with three mobile phones from providers from Somalia, which they suspect are used in detonating the explosions.

The regional police commander who described the arrest as a breakthrough in terror activities in the region promised to enhance security to help thwart terrorism in northern region.

"The arrest is a big breakthrough in the fight against terrorism.

"We have been looking for the suspect for some time," Nyongesa said.

"He took us straight to his house and handed over the riffle and the ammunitions to our officers, we will interrogate him with a view of getting more information which will assist us a lot," he added.

The east African nation which hosted protracted negotiations that culminated into the signing of the transition federal charter in Nairobi in 2004 sent troops into the lawless nation in mid- October in pursuit of Al-Shabaab.

Kenya blames the group for a string of attacks and kidnappings in Kenya, including four Europeans.

The Kenyan government says the kidnappings threaten tourism, a key source of revenue for the country.

Somalia has been unfortunate for at least two decades when warlords and all other merchants of violence have devastated the country’s human existence.

Al-Shabaab has been the latest of these groups to impose severe misery on the population by denying them the basic right to choose their legitimate leaders and access to food aid, thus condemning them to famine, observers said.

The militant group has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia’s weak central government.

Kenya accuses the al-Qaida-linked group, which controls much of central and southern Somalia, of a spate of abductions from its territory, charges denied by the militants.

Al-Shabaab has said it views the presence of Kenyan troops in southern Somalia as an act of war.

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