Garissa crackdown nets six key men
PHOTO | OSMAN HUSSEIN Policemen during the crackdown against terrorism in Garissa Town on April 23, 2013.
What you need to know:
- One of them is said to be coordinator of Al-Shabaab criminal ways in the town and the rest are top cohorts
Six men described as “high value” suspects were on Tuesday arrested in Garissa in a police crackdown aimed at ending deadly attacks in the county. (Read: Families flee Garissa ahead of crackdown on terrorists)
One of them is said to be a coordinator of Al-Shabaab activities in the town and the rest his key link-men, according to an officer who did not wish to be identified.
The suspects were detained at police stations in Iftin and Garissa towns.
More than 100 people were arrested in the routing that is concentrated in Garissa Town.
The town was on Tuesday deserted for the second day and two men were shot dead at Modica police checkpoint, about 10 kilometres away. The two were said to have been suspects fleeing from the police.
Most of those arrested did not have national identity cards, the single document the police were demanding from anybody they came across before asking other questions.
Police wanted to know what one did for a living, where they lived and who their family members were, among other details.
A special committee was set up at the provincial police headquarters, with crime investigators instructed to interrogate suspects to establish if they were linked to Al-Shabaab.
Opted to close premises
Many businesspeople opted to close their premises.
Even the ever-busy Soko Muqdi, a large open market dotted with makeshift stalls, was a shadow of itself. Only a few businesswomen were in sight.
A stall owner who identified herself only as Amina said when the police arrive in the morning, one by one, the shop owners started closing and customers stayed away from town, she added.
A spot check by the Nation showed that most shops that were open were those owned by people from other parts of Kenya settled in Garissa.
Tuesdays crackdown targeted the trading centre, with police moving from one shop to the other, asking traders to identify themselves and produce identity cards.
It all started the previous night and concentrated on some zones mapped out as dangerous, including Garissa Ndogo, Bulla Iftin, Bulla Masalani, Guled and Bulla Taqwa.
It was carried out by the General Service and Rapid Deployment units officers.
The police action was ordered on Saturday last week, three days after gunmen stormed Kwa Chege restaurant and opened fire on patrons, killing 10 people.
