Police seize AK-47, 201 bullets from Mandera bus
A gun and ammunitions police seized from a bus from Mandera.
Police in Wajir County have impounded a bus that was travelling from Mandera to Nairobi after a firearm and ammunition were found on board.
The bus, christened Legend, was impounded by police after it was found carrying an AK-47 rifle in Tarbaj, Wajir County.
Police officers manning a roadblock at Tarbaj town centre intercepted the bus on suspicion that it was carrying contraband, only to stumble upon the gun hidden under the back seat.
There were 57 passengers on board at the time, according to police.
Police are holding at least five people suspected of ferrying the weapon. They include the bus conductor, the driver, a mechanic, and a passenger.
Police found the AK-47 rifle, four empty magazines, 201 rounds of ammunition and two bolt head carriers.
"We are closing in on the main suspects behind the cache, which was to be dropped in Garissa town," a senior security officer told the Nation on condition of anonymity.
Recent intelligence reports indicate that al-Shabaab militants are targeting a learning institution in the town.
The militants are said to be smuggling in weapons from Somalia.
While police in Wajir investigate the weapon case, their counterparts in Garissa remain on alert for an imminent attack.
The upsurge in terrorist activity has forced the government to postpone the planned reopening of the border, which had been scheduled for last month.
Border points
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said last week that the government would postpone the planned gradual reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border points to facilitate a comprehensive and conclusive response to the recent wave of terrorist attacks and cross-border crimes.
In a worrying trend, terror suspects have been crossing the border to attack government officials. More than 30 people have been killed in one month alone.
Kenya had planned to reopen the border posts this month. They have been closed since 2011.
On Monday, at least three security officers were killed and five others injured when their vehicle was hit by an explosive device in the Dadaab area of Garissa County.
