- Police termed the recovery a win in the war on terrorism, saying the weapons were to be used on an undisclosed terror mission.
- The weapons are not Kenyan because they were not been registered in the country.
Three men were Monday evening arrested and a cache of weapons recovered from them in a police operation in Lagdera, Garissa.
The three were transporting eight AK-47 rifles, 2,104 bullets and 20 litres of petrol on Baraki- Maalmin road in Lagdera when they were intercepted after a four-hour chase.
There were also eight empty magazines.
Police termed the recovery a win in the war on terrorism, saying the weapons were to be used on an undisclosed terror mission.
The weapons are not Kenyan because they were not been registered in the country.
The three were identified as Nur Ibrahim Alaso Hadadob who was the driver, Jimale Abey Mahamad Griftu and Abdirizack Mohamed Ali Elwak.
Police who were patrolling the area spotted the salon car at about 5pm on Monday before the driver sped off prompting a chase, which took four hours that ended with the recovery.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border and Dadaab, which hosts thousands of refugees most of whom are from Somalia.
Northeastern police boss Rono Bunei said they were investigating further to establish the mission for the weapons.
He said their intention was to cause a terror attack in Kenya but they did not know where and when.
“These were transporting them for a terror-related mission here. We were alert and stopped them,” he said.
Other officials said the weapons were probably headed to one of the refugee camps before they could be used elsewhere on a terror mission.
Security officials say there is an influx of aliens into the refugee camps, some of whom could be al Shabaab operatives disguised as asylum seekers.
Police say the refugee camps are still used as logistical, transit and facilitation centres for al Shabaab operatives.
Security agencies say they found out that the perpetrators of the Westgate Mall terror attack and the Garissa University attack had been facilitated from Dadaab Refugee Camp.
One of the five men who attacked dusitD2 in 2019 came to Kenya through Dagahaley Refugee Camp in the larger Dadaab.
Because of the proximity of the region to Somalia border, the militants have been crossing and setting bombs on the road to target security agents.
Northern Kenya has borne the brunt of the vice due its strategic location with Somalia, a situation complicated by a porous border.
The militants have been targeting communication masts and government installations in Northern Kenya.
Also on the receiving end are civil servants and non-locals working in the expansive region.
This has crippled the education sector after the Teachers Service Commission recalled most non-local teachers working in the troubled region.
Edited by Henry Makori