|
Machakos (Kenya), Sep 29 (IANS) Kenyan police are holding eight Somali nationals and recovered dangerous explosive substance weighing 10 kg in the eastern part of the East African nation, an official said Saturday. Divisional Police Commander Joshua Sang said the substance was intercepted by officers along the busy-Garissa-Thika road following a tip-off by passengers Friday night, Xinhua reported. "Police intercepted the bus at Matuu, about 15 km from Kanyonyoo road block, and ordered passengers to disembark with their luggage," Sang said. "It was during the search that police noticed the abandoned parcel and after opening it, they found the explosives. The passengers were frisked for guns and other dangerous weapons," he added. He said the Somalis who were arrested had no identification documents and would be arraigned in court Monday to face charges of being in the country illegally. It was not clear where the Somalis were headed to. He said bomb experts have detonated the explosives which had been stashed in a black bag. The explosives could flatten at least a six-storey building, according to the experts. The arrests came amid heightened security across the East African nation, including border entry points, after Somali insurgents abandoned their base in Kismayo, the Indian Ocean port city in the southern part of the Horn of Africa country. Kismayo, the only remaining stronghold of terror group Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, was captured by Kenyan soldiers and other allied forces Friday after a fierce fighting of 48 hours.
| 
