16 suspected Al-Shabaab terror operatives were over the weekend intercepted and arrested while heading to Nairobi.
The aliens of Somali origin were nabbed by police at Ruiru along Thika Road aboard a Zafex bus.
The bus driver and conductor who were ferrying the men from Hagadera refugee camp to Nairobi were ordered to surrender and were found in possession of fake Kenyan Identification Cards and several telephone lines registered using fake names.
According to the Strategic Intelligence Service, police investigations have revealed that there were several mobile-money transfer activities between the two and persons linked to terror activities.
[caption caption="Zafex Bus"]
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The police intercept brings to focus the phenomenon involving aliens and suspected terror operatives infiltrating the country from neighboring Somalia.
Cases of alien trafficking have increased in the country with reports that funds from this criminal activity are used to facilitate terrorism in Somalia.
The aliens use their illegally acquired documents to open accounts, register for M-Pesa, register sim cards, enroll in local learning institutions, travel abroad and apply for local jobs, thus posing a serious threat to the country’s national security.
An Intelligence-led multi-agency operation launched on all buses plying the Dadaab-Garissa-Nairobi route has established that some bus companies operating between Garissa and Nairobi have been engaging in alien trafficking.
Meanwhile, police efforts to flush out the terrorists from Lamu County are ongoing and the Operation Linda Boni is successfully restoring security.
[caption caption="Police Officers at Boni Forest"]
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Director Joseph Kanyiri last week stated that the crackdown, which includes airstrikes and cordons to trap militants, will continue until all fighters in the forest and other areas of concern are vanquished.
"Al Shabaab presence in Lamu is almost at zero level. I am confident of that," he was quoted by The Star.
