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Some 13 foreigners carrying American, British and Arab passports were arrested in Lamu as they attempted to enter into Kenya from Somalia on Saturday.
Two other men believed to be fleeing Islamic militias were arrested at the Hulugho border point in North Eastern yesterday together with five women and three children.
One of the men arrested in Lamu had a US passport, two had British passports and the rest carried Syrian, Saudi Arabian and Yemeni passports.
An AK-47 rifle loaded with 20 bullets was also found on one of the men while another rifle was recovered from the other group seized at Hulugho.
Senior officers at police headquarters said the group bumped into a contingent of police officers who had been deployed at Kiunga border point in the district.
After question, the 13 said they had walked from Mogadishu. They said they were fleeing from on-going fighting in Somalia.
Both groups were airlifted to Nairobi yesterday and handed over to officers attached to the anti-terrorism police unit.
National Security Intelligence Service officers as well as Immigration officials are also interrogating the group.
Meanwhile, more security personnel have been deployed at Kiunga near the border with Somalia as the hunt for suspected terrorists fleeing the war-torn country intensified.
The officers are led by Coast police chief, Mr King’ori Mwangi, who confirmed the development but declined to divulge how long they would be at the border.
The deployment came a day after the US government shipped two caterpillar tractors and other military equipment to the area.
The equipment was later transported to Lamu, where a limited number of American Special Forces are leading in the hunt for suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists.
But when reached for comment, the American embassy press attaché, Ms Jennifer Burns, said the ship was at the port to collect “long term military equipment.”
At least 15 youths suspected to have terrorist links managed to sneak across the border to Kenya. They are believed to be holed in Mombasa.
In another development, the Government has deported more than 30 Somalis suspected to be sympathisers of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).
The deportation comes a day after Muslims in Nairobi held a demonstration to protest against the harassment of Somalia refugees.
The 30, who included three people with Eritrean passports and one believed to be Canadian, were among scores of suspected Islamist fighters arrested by the Kenyan forces.
Family members of suspected Al Qaeda operative Fazul Mohamed- the man thought to be behind the 1998 bombing of the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salam, who were arrested in Mombasa and flown to Nairobi, are still being held in undisclosed locations.
ICU leader
Last night, there were conflicting reports that ICU leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed had been arrested in Kenya.
The unconfirmed reports carried by a local TV station said that Mr Ahmed was being held at a Nairobi police station after he surrendered himself.
But senior police officers said they were not aware of Mr Ahmed’s arrest while another source said Mr Ahmed was a free man and had planned to hold a press conference yesterday but cancelled it at the last minute.
Source: Daily Nation, Jan 22, 2007 | 