Police are searching for an "armed and dangerous" terror suspect from Kitui County amid tightened operations to avert possible attacks.
In a statement on Friday, Spokesman Charles Owino said Anthony Munyasya alias Abdalla is a "highly trained" al Shabaab operative who has been fighting for the militants in Somalia since 2014.
“He was recently deployed to the country as part of operatives who were to conduct an attack in Nairobi in February,” he said.
The Spokesman added that Abdalla is a close associate of Abdimajit Hassan, a man facing terror charges.
Owino said Hassan had been planning to stage an attack in Nairobi, using a vehicle laden with improvised explosive devices, before police found him and the vehicle in Merti, Isiolo on January 15.
He said the man was a habitual offender who burned a church in Kitui with accomplices.
“They were arrested and charged with arson but Abdalla jumped bail and sneaked to Somalia."
Police suspect Abdalla is hiding in the country in readiness for Ramadhan attacks.
“We call upon police to be alert and vigilant. Anybody with information should report it to police immediately,” Owino said and assured confidentiality.
On Monday, police arrested a couple in Eastleigh on suspicion that they were al Shabaab's financiers and logistical operatives.
Yassin Abdille Hussein aka Abu Sumeiya and his wife Fartun Mohammed Guleid are believed to be accomplices of a key operative in Mandera named Abdiweli Mohamed Guleid alias Abdiweli Kamaure.
Kamaure was the mastermind of the November 22, 2014 Mandera bus attack in which militants killed 28 people at Arabiya near the border with Somalia.
On Tuesday, police issued an alert on possible terror attacks during the month of Ramadhan.
They said they had credible intelligence that the Somali-based terror group and affiliates such as ISIS and al Qaeda have asked their members to stage attacks during the fasting period for Muslims.
“Though the capability of al Shabaab has been greatly downgraded over time, we have credible intelligence suggesting that the militia group is planning to carry out further attacks in the country,” Owino said in a statement.
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