Kenyan security agencies have foiled what authorities described as a major terror plot by the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab targeting Nairobi, in an operation that followed months of surveillance and covert intelligence gathering.
In a statement posted by Counter Terrorism Policing Kenya (CTP-Kenya), officials said the planned attack was intended to cause mass casualties in the capital, with the suspects allegedly preparing to strike during the holy month of Ramadan.
Authorities said the operation stemmed from intelligence tracking a terror network operating within the Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya.
Security officers recovered arms and ammunition including 600 bullets, pistols, grenades, explosives and drugs.
The cache, according to investigators, was destined for targets in Nairobi.
Officials further indicated that the suspects were exploring kidnapping foreigners and hijacking vehicles as part of a broader destabilization strategy.
Kenya has remained a prime target for Al-Shabaab since deploying troops to Somalia in 2011 under Operation Linda Nchi, later integrated into the African Union peacekeeping mission.
The group has repeatedly vowed retaliation against Kenya for its military presence in Somalia.
Over the past decade, Kenya has suffered several high-profile and deadly attacks.
In September 2013, militants stormed the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people in a four-day siege that shocked the nation and drew global attention.
In April 2015, gunmen attacked Garissa University College in eastern Kenya, killing 148 people, most of them students. The massacre marked one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kenya’s history.
More recently, in January 2019, militants carried out a coordinated assault on the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi’s Westlands district, killing 21 people in an attack that involved suicide bombers and armed gunmen.
Security analysts say while large-scale attacks have become less frequent due to improved intelligence coordination and border security, Al-Shabaab continues to exploit porous borders, refugee flows and local recruitment networks to sustain its operations.
Officials have not yet disclosed the number of suspects arrested in the operation or whether any have been formally charged.
Security agencies have urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity, emphasizing that community cooperation remains central to preventing attacks.