Police officers in Nairobi on Thursday noon arrested a woman who residents believed was the wanted terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite alias White Widow.
Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers responded after City dwellers blocked a car the woman and two men were using along Moi Avenue, after suspecting the woman was the infamous terrorist.
They held the suspects hostage for a while as they waited for the officers to arrive following an earlier alert warning that Al Shabaab militants were planning possible retaliatory attacks in Kenya.
The three were taken to Railways Police Station where they were interrogated for hours before being handed over to ATPU for further questioning.
Railways Station head Kirimi Ringera said the woman claimed she had flown into the country from United States to visit her Facebook friend in Mandera.
An officer from Directorate of Criminal Investigations confirmed the arrests saying they acted swiftly following a call from the public.
“We received calls from residents indicating that they suspected the woman was the White Widow. We could not take any chances,” he stated.
Samantha has been on international police radar from several years after being suspected of masterminding terror attacks in different countries including the 2013 Westgate siege that led to death of over 60 people.
