Police arrest suspected Al Shabaab member of British origin

Police on Thursday announced a major breakthrough in the fight against terrorism after the arrest of a suspected survivor of the attack on the KDF camp in Lamu.

The Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett says they also have in custody a British national who is suspected to have been on a separate intelligence-gathering mission for the Al Shabaab militia.

The revelations were made even as a video on the KDF attack was released.

From their hearty exchanges and playful jokes amongst themselves as seen in the video, it is difficult to imagine these mostly young men are planning murder on a large scale.

But so confident of success were members of the Jeysh Ayman, a terror cell operating within Boni forest, that they had the time to video tape themselves minutes to the attack.

Hours later, at least 16 of them lay dead having been mowed down by the Kenya Defence Forces who had intelligence report of the attack.

Among those killed was the terrorists commander Luqman Osman and a British national Thomas Evans who is believed to have been taking the video. The clip ends abruptly apparently after he took a hit from the KDF.

And from the footage obtained, police circulated pictures of some of the attackers who survived the KDF camp attack. Now the IG says one of these suspects has been arrested and is currently being interrogated.

Boinett further revealed yet another Briton of Somali descent Abdulhakim Abdulsamad was arrested in Gamba, Lamu County. Also in police custody is another terror suspect, Muhammed Ali Ungala, Hussein Said Mwinyi – a Tanzanian National, Khamis Swalleh and Benson Gesore Gisendu all arrested in Garissa.

In a brief to the media on security and counter terrorism, the IG says that increased partnership between the police and the public has so far led to the arrest of 48 foreigners most of them suspected to be linked to the Al Shabaab.