Kenyan police nab 5 suspects in anti-terror swoop

Kenyan police have arrested five suspects, among them three foreigners, in an ongoing anti-terror crackdown across the country following an Al-Shabaab attack on a university that have left 148 dead, officials said on Monday.

An police officer, who didn't give his name, said four men were arrested on Sunday night on the suspicion of planning a terror attack, while a Yemeni national is also among the arrests.

The four, a Spanish, a Ugandan and two Kenyans, were arrested at a mall as they were holding a meeting, he said.

"A couple who seated next to the suspects' table called police after they heard some of the four's conversation. The couple said they heard the four men discuss plans," the officer said.

"The two Kenyans say they have recently converted to Islam, while the Spanish claims he has been here since 2008," he said, adding the suspects have been handed to the anti-terrorism police unit for further questioning.

The officer said the Yemeni national is a language student who has been frequenting Kenya and Tanzania, and was arrested in the University of Nairobi's Lower Kabete campus hostels.

The arrest came as security has been tightened in several parts of the country, following the Al-Shabaab attack in northern Kenya.

Police have identified one of the attackers killed by security forces as the son of a chief in Mandera County. The local chief confirmed his son might have joined the Al-Shabaab militant group. Endi