By Cyrus Ombati
Police are holding three people in connection with the seizure of two bombs in a bus headed to Nairobi.
The officers handling the case said they are pursuing intelligence that the bombs were to be used in an attack at the Nairobi International ASK show that opens on Monday.
The bus was headed to Nairobi from Garissa when it was stopped at a roadblock in Matuu. All the 60 passengers on board disowned the luggage that had the two explosives. The suspects were arrested on Friday.
Yatta police commander Joel Sang said on Sunday that after interrogation, they zeroed on the bus driver, conductor and a third man.
“They had hidden the explosives in tyre tubes. When we asked each passenger to pick his or her luggage, one bag remained unclaimed. It was opened and we discovered it had ingredients that, if assembled, could make two bombs,” said Sang.
He said the three are expected in court this morning. The police boss said investigation has shown that the homemade bombs were loaded onto the bus in Mwingi town.
High alert
Sang said the materials included white powder, metal pipes and detonators.
At the same time, police are on high alert following reports that Al Shabaab was likely to carry out attacks in the country.
Al Shabaab members have in the past carried out deadly attacks in Kenya using grenades and homemade bombs.
On September 13, police arrested 26-year-old Omar Abdi Aden alias Salman Abdi. He was convicted and jailed for 59 years.
In this instance, the police recovered four suicide vests, 12 grenades, four IEDs, four AK-47 assault rifles and 480 bullets.
Also, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said an earlier terror alert issued over credible intelligence that indicated two Egyptians, two Moroccans and a French national left Kismayu in Somalia last week headed for a terrorism mission in the country stands.
