Study reports low arrests of suspects in terror attacks
Despite the rising number of terror attacks recorded in 2022, suspects arrested in relation to these criminal activities remain low.
A report by Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS) shows out of 77 terror attacks witnessed in 2022, only 29 people were arrested on different counts of terrorism or being involved in terror-related activities.
That was a sharp drop of suspects arrested in 2021 where 39 people were arrested while 76 and 135 were nabbed in 2020 and 2019 respectively.
The report titled Trends of Violent Extremist attacks and arrests in Kenya, further shows suspects were arrested on suspicions of supplying security information to a terror group, planning attacks within the country and being members of a terror organisation.
The arrests
Others were also arrested for being in possession of illegal firearms and having links to terror activities.
Majority of arrests were recorded in December (10) and January (six) as well as three each in March and April.
The report, which was released last week also indicates that majority of the suspects were arrested in Garissa, Lamu and Mombasa.
Unlike the previous year, terror-related arrests were recorded in Nyeri, Narok, Kwale, Tana River, Lamu and Laikipia.
In Laikipia, a university student who confessed to have joined Al Shabaab was arrested while taking photos of a British military camp in Nanyuki.
Also, 72 per cent of those arrested were male while no females were arrested on terror-related suspicions.
Research indicates the nationality of 18 people arrested was unspecified while only three were Kenyans, five Ethiopians one Canadian while some were from Somali and Tanzanian.
