Police arrest female terror suspect in Nandi

The 22-year-old suspect is being held in lawful custody at Soghor police post. [File, Standard]

The anti-terror police unit in Tinderet, Nandi County have arrested a female suspect linked to the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The 22-year-old suspect’s neighbours in Tinderet alerted police of her “suspicious” activities, leading to her arrest.

The woman is being held in lawful custody at Soghor police post.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on Twitter on Wednesday, December 1, that the suspect confessed to having stayed in Somalia for two years after she was “abducted” by Al-Shabaab militants in 2019.

In Kamalambu Village in Nandi County, she was cohabiting with a middle-aged man, whose whereabouts remain unknown, police said.

“The suspect confessed to having received [from the Al-Shabaab militants] weapon-handling training. She was also trained on use of explosives and how to take people hostage,” said the DCI on Twitter.

According to police, the suspect had, previously, attempted to join the Kenya Defence Forces, but wasn’t shortlisted.

Investigations into her profile is ongoing, the DCI said.