Terror Suspect Arrested as Security Team Recovers IED Along Garissa-Dadaab Road

May 23, 2026 - A multi-agency security team has foiled a suspected terror plot after arresting a man and recovering an improvised explosive device (IED) along the busy Garissa–Dadaab road.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, identified as Hussein Issa Baraki, was arrested at Haji Aden area after officers on routine patrol noticed him acting suspiciously by the roadside.

According to the DCI, the suspect fled into nearby bushes immediately he spotted the approaching officers, prompting a pursuit by the security team.

“What followed was a chase through the thickets before the officers finally cornered and arrested him,” the agency said in a statement on Saturday.

Officers later escorted the suspect back to the area where he had initially been spotted and recovered an IED believed to have been intended for a planned attack.

Police also recovered military-style jungle attire, including a jungle jacket and trousers, as well as two mobile phones believed to be linked to the suspect.

“The suspect was taken back to the exact location where he had been standing before fleeing, where officers discovered an IED, pointing into a sinister attack that was in the making,” the DCI said.

Mr Baraki was taken to Garissa Police Station for processing as detectives widen investigations ahead of his arraignment in court.

The recovered items are being held as exhibits.

The arrest comes barely a day after security agencies engaged suspected Al-Shabaab militants and destroyed a terror hideout near the Kenya-Somalia border in North Eastern Kenya.

In the operation conducted in border areas prone to militant infiltration, security officers reportedly dismantled a camp believed to have been used by the militants for planning attacks and coordinating movement across the porous frontier.

North Eastern counties bordering Somalia, including Garissa, Wajir and Mandera, have remained vulnerable to attacks linked to the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab group, which has previously targeted security officers, public service vehicles and communication infrastructure using roadside bombs and ambushes.

The Garissa-Dadaab road has in the past been flagged as one of the high-risk routes due to recurring incidents involving IEDs planted by militants targeting security convoys and civilian transport vehicles.

The DCI said the latest operation demonstrates the resolve by security agencies to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

“This case reaffirms security agencies' commitment in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism,” the agency said, while urging members of the public to continue sharing information with authorities.