Westgate Mall terror suspects arrested near Uganda border

A policeman carries a baby to safety after masked gunmen stormed an upmarket mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff, killing at least six on September 21, 2013 in Nairobi. Three people suspected to have been part of the Westgate Mall terror attack were on Friday arrested by Kenyan security operatives near the Ugandan border at Busia. photo | FILE 

By Dear Jeanne and Juliet Kigongo The Citizen Correspondent

Posted  Monday, September 30  2013 at  11:21

In Summary

The three suspects are believed to have been trying to cross the Busia border to enter Uganda by the time of arrest

Busia. Three people suspected to have been part of the Westgate Mall terror attack were on Friday arrested by Kenyan security operatives near the Ugandan border at Busia.

They are among several suspects being held for questioning by Kenyan authorities over the four-day terror siege on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left more than 60 civilians and six security forces dead.

The Somali al-Shabaab militants, a terror group affiliated to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The trio is believed to have been trying to cross the Busia border to enter Uganda by the time of their arrest.

Uganda’s Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura on Friday issued a second terror alert in less than a week.

The Busia District Police Commander, Ms Barbara Alungat, could neither confirm nor deny the arrest.

“I cannot confirm but you could get that from the police spokesperson or Kenyan authorities,” Ms Alungat said.

The regional police spokesperson, Mr Micheal Odong, confirmed some arrests at the Kenyan side.

“I understand some people were arrested but it was on the Kenyan side. One is believed to be a Congolese national who did not have any document on him,” Mr Odong said.

At a news conference on Friday, Kenya’s Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said eight suspects were being held for questioning and three others had been released after interrogation.

The head of Interpol in Uganda, Mr Asan Kasingye, told the Sunday Monitor that they did not have information about the arrests, but said they had a number of suspected terrorists in their database which they would share with the Immigration.

“Should any of these suspects in our database try to enter the country, we shall arrest them,” he said.

According to a press statement by Gen Kayihura, Uganda remains high on the list of targets of the al-Shabaab and other terror groups.

“In view of this threat in our region, and as we monitor to detect any signals of possible planned terror attack on Uganda, the police and the other security forces are taking extra security measures, including increased patrols, intensification of access control at public places, as well as checks on vehicles along key roads and highways,” he said.

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN