Airport under tight surveillance

By Stanley Mwahanga and Benard Sanga

Mombasa, Kenya: Local and international security attention is now focused on Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa, the presumed target of a foiled terrorist attack.

Intelligence sources told The Standard on Saturday that terrorists were plotting to blow up the airport using an explosive-laden car with the key objective to kill tourists aboard chartered flights using 173 kilograms of TNT.

It is believed that the terrorists have plotted the attack for at least two months after acquiring adequate amounts of TNT to manufacture pipe bombs and a safehouse in Magongo, Mombasa’s downtown.

This has prompted security alerts and vigilance in the airport and port which saw hi-tech explosives detecting machinery fitted.

And ahead of yesterday’s visit to Mombasa by President Uhuru Kenyatta security surveillance was heightened on bridges, hotels, ports and airports following reports that despite the arrest of two terror suspects more than five Al Qaeda operatives were on the loose.

MIA officials were present at all briefings hosted by the joint US/Kenya investigators and when head of security at Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Eric Kiraithe-led officers to detonate explosives found in the car.

MIA Manager, Yatich Kangogu said yesterday that they were not taking any chances in security efforts.

“We are doing 100 per cent profiling of all passengers coming through the MIA including screening and scans,” Mr Kangogu said but declined to provide details of the on goings at Kenya’s second largest international airport.

But The Standard on Saturday independently learnt that airport authorities had been alerted of  a terror threat at least two months ago by local and international intelligence agencies.

On Thursday we reliably learnt that the two suspects in custody were part of the Al Qaeda squad that was plotting the raid on the airport from a base in Magongo, which is less than two minutes drive from the facility. The suspects, allegedly, planned to attack the airport on March 16 targeting at least two chartered planes from Europe.

Our investigations revealed that MIA has installed two machines that can detect ballistic ions on anyone who has come into contact with explosives or other ballistic material.

The ions are said to remain on hands or other items for a long period which makes it easy for security agents to randomly seek out dangerous passengers.

According to aviation industry security experts the new machines can also detect any trace of explosives including TNT, Nitro, research department explosive, gunpowder and home-made explosives.

A source within the Mombasa County Security committee said early this year airport authorities were informed that terrorists were plotting an attack on the facility and they issued a red alert.

“There was always a threat since the Kenya Defense Forces went to Somalia (to fight Al Shabaab) because we know the airport is a vital installation but the threat levels went higher after we were informed by the regional and county authorities of the possibility of an attack,” said the source who sought anonymity.