Kenyan detectives on Sunday linked four wanted terror suspects whose photos were released Friday to alleged recruitment of Kenyan youth to Somalia as they intensified manhunt.
According to police, the four, Abulkadir Abubakar, Issa Abdallah Kauni, Ahmed Said Omar and Hussein Said Omar, were behind the luring of three ladies arrested in the border town of Mandera heading to Somalia.
Mombasa County Police Commander Robert Kitur said reports indicate that the four had been trained in Somalia and sneaked into the country to carry out attacks to unspecified places, targeting mainly shopping malls and key installations.
According to Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), most of the youth who were indoctrinated by slain terror suspects are now back in the country.
Meanwhile, security has been enhanced in Nairobi and across the country as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the country Sunday for a number of meetings aimed at boosting bilateral ties and counter-terrorism cooperation with Kenya.
Security checks were intensified at all airport entries and exits since Friday, with more security forces deployed in key roads and major installations to thwart of terror attacks in the country.
Kerry is expected to hold talks with government, opposition leaders and the civil society until Wednesday. He is visiting the country ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s July tour, the first in the country since Obama became president.
