Eight held for filming police station

Eight people have been arrested after they were found taking pictures of a police station in Lamu County.

County police boss Moses Muriithi said yesterday they are yet to establish why the suspects were taking pictures of Tchundwa Police Station in Faza, which has in recent years been a target of Jaysh Ayman militia, said to be an offshoot of Al Shabaab.

The suspects are said to have been using a drone to take images of the station without authorisation, causing panic at the station in Friday's incident.

Muriithi said the suspects are currently being interrogated to establish their mission.

“I cannot name them at this time as this may compromise the investigations we are carrying out,” said Muriithi, who admitted that Tchundwa and Mbwajumwali remain security hotspot areas in Lamu.

In June, a police officer attached to the station, Constable Rodger Otieno, was waylaid and killed by unknown people as he walked to nearby Mbwajumwali village from Tchundwa.

A police report showed the officer suffered deep cuts on his forehead, neck, cheek and knee. Police linked his death to a gang dealing in narcotics in the area.

Masked men

Last year, Mbwajumwali chief Mohammed Famau and Myabogi assistant chief Malik Athman were also hacked to death in their offices by masked men.

The same year, a Kenya Red Cross volunteer, Akina Bakari, who was also involved in the fight against drugs, was killed by people who had covered their faces.

Police sources said the drones hovered over the police station taking pictures forcing officers to take off for fear of an attack.

The officers were able to locate and arrest the drone operator. The first suspects led the police to the rest before they were all apprehended.

The sources said the eight men, who hail from Western, Eastern and Coast could not explain their presence in the area. Muriithi said one of the suspects said he had travelled from Mombasa to visit a relative.

The police boss cautioned the public that police stations were protected areas and remain high security premises, which must not be filmed whatsoever.

Early this year, a US military service member and two US contractors were killed in Lamu following an Al Shabaab attack on a military base used by the US and Kenyan army personnel.

Two other Department of Defence personnel were also wounded in the dawn attack at the Manda Bay Airfield.