GARISSA, Kenya, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Friday thwarted a terrorist attack and arrested six suspects who were planning to launch attacks in the East African nation.
The police said in a security report on Saturday that the six suspects -- four Somalis and two Kenyans -- were arrested in Bulla Hawa, an adjoining town in southern Somalia, in a joint security operation with Somali counterparts.
The police said the terror suspects were on their way to Nairobi to carry out attacks, adding that improvised explosive devices were recovered.
"The six were captured alive and their bomb making equipment seized. Complete antipersonnel explosive devices (A-IED) were found in the hotel room," said the police.
The authorities said suicide borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED), bomb making material including trinitrotoluene (TNT) and fragmentation-generating objects including nails, ball bearings, and screw nuts (shrapnel) were found.
"An assortment of assault rifles and ammunition were recovered. The six were planning to sneak into the country through Bula Hawa," the police said.
The incident came amid a series of attacks in the last few weeks targeting government vehicles in Kenya's northeast region. Police have blamed the attacks on Al-Shabaab militants who are operating in the area.
At least 30 police officers and civilians were killed in May along the Kenya-Somalia border town of Mandera and Garissa after their vehicles ran over improvised explosive devices (IED).
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has warned that the militants have dispatched fighters in parts of the northeast region and Coast regions to carry out sting attacks targeting security agents and civilians.
Since Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia in October 2011, northern and parts of eastern Kenya have been hit by a series of blasts, many targeting local security forces and humanitarian workers.
Several attacks, believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab, have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the terror group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them. Enditem
