Two suspects arrested over Mandera food joint blast
Two suspects were arrested following a blast that ripped off a food joint in Mandera Town leaving one person with serious injuries.
The suspects are believed to be the ones who were planting the improvised explosive device (IED) that went off at the eatery in Shafshafey area of Mandera.
A multi-agency security team launched investigation into the improvised explosive device (IED) explosion that occurred Monday afternoon.
Responding swiftly, the team established that the explosion had blown off the hotel’s rooftop and caused visible cracks in the walls.
At the time of the incident, four customers were inside the eatery.
Three of them escaped unhurt, while one individual sustained a fractured left femur and pellet injuries to the abdomen, police said.
The injured victim was promptly rushed to Mandera Referral Hospital, where he is currently in stable condition and receiving treatment.
Preliminary investigation revealed that two of those who escaped unhurt are the masterminds behind the attack.
They were later apprehended and are currently in custody as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, detectives are pursuing a bodaboda rider who brought the suspects to the hotel and fled immediately after the incident.
Police and witnesses said the powerful explosion rocked Delicacy Food Hotel in Mandera.
It caused significant damage to the establishment.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border where al-Shabaab terrorists cross for attacks.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the area amid operations to contain the trend.
It came as security teams enhanced operations in the area along the border amid fears of more attacks by the terror group.
It also came as a group of chiefs who had been abducted from Elwak area were released from Jilb, Somalia.
They were abducted in February 3, 2025 as they headed for a meeting in the area.
The group was set free from their captivity in Jilb on Sunday April 6, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said.
“The chiefs have been released and now in the hands of the Kenya authorities. They will soon join their families . Once chiefs are in the country we will share the measures put in place.”
“The country is facing constant threats to terrorism and our officers are doing a fantastic job to protect Kenyans without sharing the operations publicly,” he said.
Elders who participated in the negotiations leading to the release said the chiefs were freed on Sunday.
They were released and handed over to Garreh elders in Jilb, Somalia Sunday evening.
Plans to bring them back to Elwak, Kenya side were underway.
The five chiefs- Mohammed Adawa, Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Noor, Assistant Chief Ibrahim Gabow, and Senior Chief Abdi Suraw- were abducted after they were ambushed by suspected terrorists in Elwak, Mandera County on February 3, a day before President Ruto started his tour of the region.