Suspected Al-Shabaab spy arrested

Security agencies are holding a resident of Bura East, Tana River county, who is suspected of providing sensitive information to al-Shabaab.

Police have been investigating Mustafa Khalib Muhumed over suspicions that he had been supplying the Somalia-based terror group with information.

The police say, that at the time of his arrest, Muhumed had just delivered a detailed surveillance report about a security installation.

The information included the routes used by security personnel from a camp, a map of areas adjoining the camp and probable escape routes to be used by the militants after executing an attack on the camp.

Lapsset target

“He had also been tasked to report on security operations in North Eastern and Lamu County in order to facilitate al-Shabaab Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks and ambushes against Kenya’s security personnel,” said a police report.

His most crucial task was to spy on the LAPPSET project, one of Kenya’s key infrastructure development projects, for possible attacks by the militants with the aim of sabotaging the progress/completion of the multimillion dollar facility.

Police said he had mapped the progress of the project, the contractors/labourers working on the project, the sites where material/equipment of the project were stored and the military/security installations/personnel guarding the project.

The suspect was also following up on the movement of political leaders for possible kidnapping and ransom mission.

Police said he also had violent extremism material which he propagated to youth on online platforms to lure them into terror groups.