Police officials in Kenya's northeastern regional capital Garissa have arrested a Syrian national and sent him to Nairobi for interrogation, security sources said on Monday.
The officials confirmed the arrest in Garissa, Kenya of Isam Mustafa, aged 35, last Thursday by Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officers from Nairobi, according to AFP.
Mustafa had been living at the Garissa hotel for the past four months. North Eastern Provincial police officer Alexander Rono declined to provide further details regarding Mustafa's arrest. He was detained at the Garissa police station for a day, before being transferred to the CID headquarters in Nairobi.
Sources within the local Arab community in Garissa said the Kenyan authorities wanted to know Mustafa's motives for setting up residence in Garissa, and if he was linked with any terrorist group - a charge they claim he had denied during interrogations. Mustafa entered Kenya from Tanzania, through the Namanga border post, and tried to establish a dental clinic in Nairobi with two other Syrians, but was turned down by the health ministry. He then moved on to Garissa.
The three have been interrogated several times by police, and intelligence officers have allegedly been following them and eavesdropping on their phone conversations both in Nairobi and Garissa. A day before Mustafa's arrest, the other two Syrians were arrested in Mombasa and Nairobi, respectively. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
