Kenya Parliament Staffer Arrested For Alleged Terror Plot

Kenyan authorities have arrested a parliamentary staffer on charges of plotting to bomb the parliament building in collaboration with Somalia's Al-Shabaab militant group.



"The man is being held at the Kilimani police station at the moment," a police officer told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to his rank.



The staffer, identified as Ali AbdulMajid, was arrested early Monday after having been mentioned in an intelligence report by the Kenyan authorities.



"He works in the Senate," the police officer said.



AbdulMajid is also vice-chairman of the Pumwani Riyadh Mosque, which in the past has been known as a recruiting point for Al-Shabaab militants.



A 2011 UN Monitoring Report claimed the mosque was financed by the Somali militant group, after which the mosque's management was replaced.



Daud Ali, a relative of the suspect and an official at the mosque, confirmed the arrest.



"He has been detained by police; we are waiting to see what happens," he told AA.



"I believe he will be out. He is an innocent man. Just because he is an official at the Pumwani Mosque, this shouldn't make him a suspect," insisted the relative.



In a leaked confidential security alert obtained by AA, Nairobi downtown police chief Paul Nanjama alerted the Parliament Police in an effort to enhance security.



He said Al-Shabaab had dispatched operatives to carry out larger-scale attacks in the country.



"In Nairobi, key targets include parliament by planting a bomb within parliament buildings," the letter, dated April 23, read in part.



According to the alert, Al-Shabaab planned to use a parliament staffer affiliated to the Pumwani Riyadh Mosque to plant bombs in the parliament building.



At least 148 people – mostly students – were killed earlier this month in a devastating militant attack on northern Kenya's Garissa University College.



Responsibility for the carnage was swiftly claimed by Al-Shabaab.



The Al-Qaeda-linked group has vowed to carry out attacks in Kenya as long as the East African country maintains a military presence in Somalia.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Nayrobi