Kenya: Suspect Arrested After Mandera IED Attack
Nairobi — One suspect has been arrested in connection with the Mandera terrorist attack that left seven people dead and 13 injured, according to Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso.
Shioso told Capital FM on telephone that the incident occurred around 7:30 am when a 14-seater public service vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along the Arabia-Mandera Road.
"It was reported today 31/1/2022 by team of GSU who were on routine patrol along Mandera - Arabia Road that at around 0730hrs at Hargrasu location map REF BJ 290350 about, 16 km South West of the station, they saw some motor vehicles diverting from the main road evading a culvert and became suspicious and decided to inquire on what had happened," read a police report
"On reaching the said culvert a loud explosion was heard and all over sudden the said motor vehicle parts and its occupants were spread all over the scene," the police added.
Police further said that the officers who responded engaged the suspects in fierce gun fire.
"Fortunately, some of our GSU officers who were on patrol were nearby and they managed to chase the culprits who were hiding in nearby bushes," Shioso said.
According to police the Mandera-bound vehicle was carrying a capacity of 20 passengers at the time of the incident.
The attack follows a terror warning issued by various western governments including France, Germany and USA on an impending terror attack at the weekend.
The foreign governments had warned that attacks would happen over the weekend but Kenya denied knowledge saying they had ramped up operations to tame any such plans.
The Al-Qaeda linked jihadist group have staged a series of attacks on Kenyan soil including the North Eastern and Coastal region because of their proximity to the Somalia border, the operating base for the Shabaab militants.
The terror outfit have mostly targeted security personnel, civil servants and passenger vehicles in the region in the recent years as they shift their modus operandi from direct engagements with security agencies to guerilla like tactics which include planting of IED's along the routes and attacks on security installations and infrastructure like communication masts.
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