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Kenya police: 3 arrested trying to enter British Army camp Kenya police: 3 arrested trying to enter British Army camp
(about 2 hours later)
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan police say they arrested three “terrorist suspects” who tried to force their way into a British Army training camp on the same day that al-Shabab extremists attacked a military base and killed three U.S. military personnel. NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan police say they arrested three “terrorist suspects” who tried to force their way into a British Army training camp on the same day al-Shabab extremists attacked a military base and killed three U.S. military personnel.
Meanwhile new details emerged in the al-Shabab assault, with photos showing the dead attackers wearing military uniforms. An internal police report seen by The Associated Press says the three men were arrested Sunday after trying to enter the British Army Training Unit in Laikipia county. The British army said in a statement that Kenyan police were investigating “suspicious activity” and that “we do not believe there was a direct threat to UK personnel or assets.”
An internal police report seen by The Associated Press says three men were arrested Sunday after trying to enter the British Army Training Unit in Laikipia county. It occurred around the same time as the al-Shabab attack. Meanwhile new details emerged in the al-Shabab attack, the al-Qaida-linked group’s first assault against U.S. forces inside Kenya.
The British government was not immediately available for comment. The attack at Manda Bay Airfield killed 23-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Henry Mayfield Jr., the NBC affiliate in Chicago reported, citing a family statement. Two other Americans, contractors with the U.S. Department of Defense, were killed but their names have not been released.
The al-Shabab attack at Manda Bay Airfield killed U.S. Army Specialist Henry Mayfield Jr., the NBC affiliate in Chicago reported, citing a statement from his family. He was 23 and from the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest, the report said. Two other Americans, both contractors with the U.S. Department of Defense, were also killed but their names have not yet been released. No Kenyans were killed, Kenya’s military spokesman Paul Njuguna said Monday. Al-Shabab has vowed retribution for Kenyan troops fighting it in neighboring Somalia, where it is based.
The U.S. Africa Command told the AP on Monday that five U.S. aircraft were destroyed and one damaged in Al-Shabab’s hours-long assault at the airfield in coastal Lamu county. The aircraft were a combination of fixed-wing and rotary, it said. Five U.S. aircraft, including fixed-wing and helicopters, were destroyed and one damaged in the hours-long assault at the airfield in coastal Lamu county, the U.S. Africa Command told the AP.
It was the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab’s first attack against U.S. forces inside Kenya, where the extremists have carried out multiple deadly attacks against civilian targets including buses, schools and shopping malls. Photos shared with the AP by a security source showed the five dead al-Shabab attackers wearing military uniforms. It was not clear whether the uniforms were Kenyan or Somali. Some al-Shabab fighters have worn military uniforms in past attacks. The photos also showed an al-Shabab flag.
Photos shared with the AP by a security source showed the five dead al-Shabab attackers wearing military uniforms. It was not clear whether the uniforms were Kenyan or Somali. The extremist group is based in neighboring Somalia and its fighters have worn military uniforms to access areas in the past. Also Monday the U.S. Africa Command asserted that several unverified social media sites, “some with links to Iran,” posted false claims of the death of its commander, Gen. Stephen Townsend, in the al-Shabab attack.
U.S. Africa Command said it would not comment on questions about any changes to its presence or security measures. The Manda airfield is adjacent to Camp Simba, a key Kenyan military base used by U.S. counterterror forces. Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaida and has no known links to Iran or its proxies.
No Kenyans died in the attack, Kenya’s military spokesman Paul Njuguna said Monday. A U.S. Africa Command spokesman, Col. Christopher Karns, told the AP that Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency was one originator of the message.
Al-Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending its troops to Somalia to counter the extremist group. “It is important to note, U.S. Africa Command does not assess yesterday’s attack by al-Shabab is linked to Iran,” the spokesman added.
The U.S. statement posted on Twitter cited Townsend as saying “reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” He called them an example of the “lies, propaganda and fake news” from al-Shabab and “other malign actors such as Iran and its proxies.”
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AP journalist Cara Anna in Johannesburg contributed. Anna reported from Johannesburg. Greg Katz in London contributed.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.