MOMBASA, Kenya, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's anti-terrorism police officers on Wednesday arrested an Al-Shabaab terror suspect and recovered explosive materials in the country's coastal region of Lamu. Regional police commander Francis Wanjohi said, the suspect, Mohammed Adana, was arrested while ferrying the materials allegedly used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Wanjohi said the anti-terrorism police officers also seized the boat the suspect was using to ferry the chemicals. "We are holding one suspect whom we believe could be part of Al-Shabaab militants who were planning attacks in the coastal town of Lamu. The seized chemicals have been handed over to ballistic experts for analysis," the police commander said. He said the suspect, believed to have received training in neighbouring Somalia, was planning to carry out attacks on unspecified locations especially in Lamu and Malindi. Police said the suspect could not understand Kiswahili or English, hence need for an interpreter to assist in the interrogation with possibility of arresting his accomplices. The suspect has been detained at Malindi police station for 30 days after court allowed police to hold him to enable them to complete their investigation. The East African nation's coastal region is the backbone of the country's thriving tourism industry, which has been hit by the fear of terror attacks and the kidnapping of foreigners. The arrest comes after the police on April 14 issued an alert in the coastal town of Malindi following intelligence alert of impending terror attack by the Islamist militant group.
Kenyan counter-terrorism officers arrested a suspected al-Shabaab militant on 18 May. At the same time, explosive materials believed to be used to manufacture Xinhua (IEDs) were also recovered. The police said that they believed that the individual was planning to attack the coastal towns of Lamu and Malindi. In April, the authorities issued an alert following intelligence suggesting that a terror attack in Malindi was imminent. Kenya is fighting to ensure the security of its coastal region, which provides the main revenue source for its tourism industry.