By Moses Mwaura
It has now emerged that Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was among the prime targets in the foiled terror attack that was to happen in the city last
On Thursday last week Police foiled a major terrorist attack after fighting off gunmen in Merti, Isiolo County killing one and arresting two others after which they found a cache of arms in my cluding 36 grenades and five automatic rifles.
Initial investigations showed the car was headed to Nairobi where the terrorists planned to use it as a vehicle borne improvised explosive device to bomb Lilian Towers Hotel along University Way and Central Police station which is located just a few meters from the Five Star hotel.
According to a preliminary report by the anti-terror police unit the terrorists had booked a hotel room at Lilian Towers just next to another room that was booked by Governor Sonko, because they were carrying a key, which indicated the name of the hotel and room number.
Sonko’s security has been under threat of late after his bodyguard was shot dead in 2017 by armed gangsters and another worker at his Club Casuarina in Buruburu died in a mysterious fire.
In March last year one of the bodyguards attached to Sonko was shot dead and robbed of his gun in an attack at Mwiki, Nairobi. The officer was shot in the forehead and died while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital.
During Thursday’s incident, the officers also detained the terrorists’ car which was rigged up with explosives. If detonated, the impact would be devastating because explosion would be powerful enough to bring down a storey building, according to a security official.
Police have already identified those in custody as Kenyans, going by the national identity cards they were carrying. They are Abdimajit Hassan Adan, 24, and Mohammed Nane Kenyan, 23. Another ID card belonging to Jirma Huka Galgalo was also found.
Also found in the car were the five AK 47 rifles with 36 fully loaded magazines – each magazine carries 30 bullets.
Also, there were “36 unprimed hand grenades, 18 IEDs and three millitary knives.”
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