The Disappearance of Australian Linked to Al-Shabaab Raises Concerns about Foreign Fighters in Northern Kenya
Garissa – The recent disappearance of of an Australian linked to the Al-Shabaab terror group has raised eyebrows on the presence of foreign fighters in Nothern Kenya.
In the recent years, foreign fighters in the Al-Shabaab have largely come from East Africa-primarily Kenya, followed by Tanzania and Uganda- have generally not accrued significant influence within the terror cell.
The Australian has been identified as Nathan Clavel and has gone missing under suspicious circumstances in Wajir Township, Kenya, and there are concerns that he may have crossed into Somalia to join Islamist fighters.
Police officers from DCI Wajir East confirmed to Garissa Today on Tuesday that they received information about a suspicious individual at the Grand Oasis Hotel.
Clavel, along with Abdulwahid Gadafi Abdulkarim, arrived at the hotel, but Clavel left abruptly and has not returned.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that Mohamed Adan Abdi picked up Clavel outside the hotel and handed him over to Salah Sheikh Noor.
They left for an unknown destination using separate vehicles, raising concerns about Clavel’s safety.
The detained individuals are being held for questioning, and their mobile phones have been seized for forensic analysis.
They visited the hotel and established that two men, Abdulwahid Gadafi Abdulkarim aged 21, from Garissa Township and Nathan Clavel, an Australian national and holder of passport number PB2696205 arrived at the hotel on June 22 at around 5am and booked two separate rooms for two days.
The same day at around 5.45pm, the foreigner left the hotel but never returned.
The officers managed to arrest Abdulwahid while trying to check out of the hotel and upon further investigation it led to arrest of one Mohammed Adan Abdi aged 30 who picked the Australian national outside the hotel using a motor vehicle registration number KCY 148V and took him to Bulla Madina where he handed him over to Salah Sheikh Noor who left with him to unknown destination using motor vehicle registration number KDG 296W.
The Australian’s whereabouts are not yet known. The three were arrested and their mobile phones confiscated pending forensic analysis.
The two vehicles have also been detained.
Foreigners joining the Somali militant group Al-shabaab have occupied rank and file roles in the group’s military wing.
Garissa County Police CommanderaJohn Sichei
Security agencies in Garissa County are holding two other terror suspects arrested over the weekend.
The two are said to be Tanzania nationals who were nabbed while heading to Somalia.
Garissa County Police commander John Sichei said the two were arrested at different points.
“We have two terror suspects in our custody and we are interrogating them. We want to establish if they are linked to the terror group and their motive for travelling towards Somalia,” he said.
Officers manning the Modika Police Barrier at around 1600hrs arrested Sadam Jafari Kitia, a Tanzanian male adult aged 30 years’ old who was walking on foot heading towards Dadaab direction from Garissa.
“We are on high alert following spillovers of the militants from Somalia and their plan of planting explosives on the roads, ” Mr Sichei said.
The two suspect were yet to be produced in Court on Monday for police to be allowed to continue holding them for interrogation.