Kenyan police said on Tuesday they had arrested three suspects and recovered a cache of weapons during a security operation in Garissa County, which borders Somalia.
Rono Bunei, northeastern regional police chief, said the three suspects were snatched while transporting eight rifles, 2,104 bullets and 20 liters of petrol along a busy road in the Lagdera area when they were caught after a four-hour chase.
Bunei said police patrolling the area spotted the saloon car around 5pm on Monday before the driver moved off, leading to a pursuit that took four hours to complete.
“The three suspicious passengers jumped out to the bushes when they were stopped. The operation was fitted to track down and arrest the passengers in the vehicle,” Bunei said in Garissa.
Security described the recovery as a boost in the war on terrorism and noted that the weapons were to be used in an unknown terrorist mission in the country. The regional police chief said weapons are not Kenyan because they are not registered in the country.
The area is near the border between Kenya and Somalia, and Dadaab hosts thousands of refugees, most of whom come from Somalia.
Kenya has been on increased alert due to the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants.
Al-Shabab terrorists have attacked places in the region, particularly in the Mandera and Garissa counties of the northeastern region bordering Somalia after violating security zones, leaving dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.
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