Saturday July 18, 2020
KISMAYO (HOL) - A suspected Al-Shabaab operative who security officials said was planning an attack in the port city of Kismayo has been arrested.
Security forces in the coastal city arrested the man Friday and recovered an assortment of bomb-making components and hand grenades.
The arrest happened during a sting operation in the town to hunt down Al-Shabaab militants who have in the recent past conducted a series of attacks.
One person was killed last week and several others injured when an unidentified person hurled a grenade at a restaurant in the city.
A report by the Mogadishu based think tank Hiraal Institute released Friday said the militants had increased attacks in Jubbaland capitalizing on the ongoing row between the southerly state and the Federal Government.
The report also observed that the militants were cashing in on low military offensives by Ethiopian Forces in the region.