Highlights:
Kenya Police have unmasked an al Shabaab recruitment cell that is said to lure susceptible youth with fake promises of money, cars and wives following intelligence acquired from 4 al Shabaab suspects arrested in January.
The terror network according to the security officials has a base in Mombasa with links in Nairobi, Isiolo and Lamu counties.
Summary:
4 arrested al Shabaab members of a known cell affiliated to Ramadhan Kufungwa – one of the most wanted al Shabaab commanders were arrested in Madogo area in Garissa in January. Kufungwa has been linked to the killing of a popular Sheikh Idriss, robberies and killing spat for raising money to fund al Shabaab activities as well as facilitate the transport of recruits into Somalia.
The four- Idris Sadalla Iddi, Mohamed Ahmed Fadhili, Issa Noor Abdullahi and Abdulhafidhi Issa Fara have been in ATPU custody as they help with the investigations into a terror cell based in Mombasa and with links in Nairobi, Lamu and Isiolo Counties.
Following credible information acquired by the police, they have been able to unmask a recruitment network that lures the susceptible youth with promises of cars, money and wives when they join the Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen.
Investigations have also been launched into a primary school in Likoni that one of the suspects taught as a front for radicalization of the children attending the school seeing as most of them hail from poor families. Investigations have revealed that the school is funded by al Shabaab sympathizers.
The ATPU has intensified its activities in the Mombasa, Lamu and NEP counties in a bid to collect intelligence that will dismantle any and all al Shabaab cells operating in Kenya with the arrest streaks increasing due to changed tactics employed by the unit to curb and rid Kenya of any extremists elements.
