Nairobi Residents Warned of Planned Alshabab Attack

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Sunday, August 27, flagged a viral post warning of an imminent attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists in Nairobi City.

In a statement to the public, DCI assured Kenyans that the alert was false and there was no imminent threat to the country.

“This report doing rounds in sections of the media is fake news,” the DCI stated. 

In the letter that purported to be drafted by DCI Nairobi regional coordinator, Peter Nthigah, it was reported that the terrorists were planning to launch an attack before the end of August and September this year.

It further alleged that the extremists were targeting Western troops and diplomats in Kenya as well as the places they frequented in the capital.

“The armed attackers, believed to be already in Nairobi, plan to detonate suicide vests reinforced with sporadic shooting in crowded places and targeted areas,” the now flagged letter read in part.

As such, security officers were asked to enhance vigilance and screening to forestall likely attacks by the militia. 

DCI flagged the report on the same day Defence Cabinet Security briefed the nation on the government’s plan to combat terror.

While speaking in Faza Island in Lamu East, the CS revealed that the government had reactivated intelligence and improved surveillance systems to spot and arrest possible threats.

“I put on stern notice members of the outlawed terrorist groups and their extremist collaborators that their days are numbered,” the CS warned. 

Coincidentally,  the now-flagged letter follows terror warnings from the US, Canada, and the UK.

The Western nations had warned its citizens to exercise caution while visiting North Eastern counties, Lamu and select areas within Nairobi.