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Kenyan police arrest teenagers en route to joining Somalia's Al Shabaab

Kenyan police arrest teenagers en route to joining Somalia's Al Shabaab

Kenya

Five Kenyan teenagers have been arrested by Kenyan police on suspicion of travelling to Somalia to join militant group Al Shabaab.

The suspects from two suburbs in Isiolo County were arrested on Tuesday in two groups shortly after they cancelled their mission near the Somali border, Isiolo County Commissioner George Natembeya told the media.

“The three young people admitted that they were in transit to Somalia but changed their minds along the way,” he added.

However, the two others confirmed that they were on a mission to cross the border to Somalia to join Al Shabaab.

The Isiolo county has recorded a number of missing teenagers in the past year suspected of joining Al Shabaab through an ongoing recruitment.

Six other teenagers disappeared last year but were arrested at a refugee camp while on their way to Somalia.

“We were celebrating that cases of violent extremism and radicalization had declined, but we suspect that recruiters are taking advantage of Ramadhan to lure and mislead young people into joining the terror group,” Natembeya said, adding that investigation is ongoing.

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