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Kenyan police arrest two IS suspects deported from Turkey

Xinhua, February 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Kenyan anti-terrorism police on Saturday morning arrested two IS suspects in the coastal city of Mombasa during a major operation to nab youth who had joined foreign radical groups.

Police sources said the male and female suspected IS fighters aged 20 and 26 years respectively had earlier been deported by Turkish authorities when they sneaked into the country after training in Syria.

Mombasa County Commander, Peter Maelo said the two IS suspects are being interrogated to shed light on the activities of the terror network in Kenya.

He revealed the suspects have been on intelligence radar since November when Turkish authorities informed Kenyan security personnel about their connection to IS.

Maelo told reporters that police and intelligence officers have intensified surveillance in Mombasa and other coastal towns to prevent terrorist attack

"Although terrorist attacks have reduced drastically, we are on high alert and have made a fresh appeal to members of the public to report suspicious elements in their midst," said Maelo.

Kenyan authorities have warned on several occasions that IS has been on recruitment frenzy in the East African Nation.

The terrorist group has been targeting youth in colleges for recruitment and indoctrination.

Two medical interns were last year arrested in the coastal town of Malindi after intelligence agencies unearthed their links to IS. Endit