Wednesday, February
19, 2025 - Detectives in Mandera County have arrested two suspects
allegedly involved in a plot to abduct foreign workers at a Government project
in Mandera East.
Mandera County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Pius
Gitari confirmed that the suspects, Isaack Abdi Mohamed alias Kharan Abdi
Hassan and Noor Yakub Ali, were found to be coordinating al-Shabaab terror
activities in the region.
The duo is currently held at Mandera Police Station under
the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU).
Notably, Abdi, believed to be a Somali national, reportedly
crossed into Kenya and fraudulently obtained a Kenyan identity card.
This arrest comes amid concerns over President William
Ruto’s recent directive to lift vetting for ID card applications in North
Eastern Kenya, a move that has sparked fears of potential security loopholes.
According to security sources, Abdi admitted to planning the
abduction of Chinese workers and doctors in Mandera and allegedly paid a local
Sh100,000 to facilitate the plot.
The suspects intended to transport their captives to El-Ade,
Somalia, for a ransom of Sh300,000.
The arrests follow heightened security operations in Mandera
after five chiefs were abducted and taken to Somalia.
The incident also echoes the 2020 kidnapping of two Cuban
doctors by suspected al-Shabaab militants.
Security analysts warn that easing ID card issuance in
terror-prone areas could inadvertently aid extremists in infiltrating Kenya,
raising fresh concerns about national security and border control.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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