Two Individuals 'Linked to Iran' Arrested in Kenya on Suspicion of 'Planning Terrorist Attack'

Associated Press and Reuters reported from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the country's security officials have arrested two suspects accused of 'planning terrorist attacks' with alleged connections to Iran. On Saturday, December 7, the Associated Press quoted the Kenyan police commander stating that the detainees are 'two Kenyan nationals' who 'intended to attack targets belonging to Western countries in Kenya.' The police chief mentioned that the detainees 'have confessed to receiving assistance from Iranian security agencies and are currently in police custody.' The report identified the detainees as Abubakar Sadiqloo, 69, and Yasin Sambai Jumma, 25, stating that they 'confessed to espionage for the Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.' The police commander noted that Sadiqloo had arranged for Jumma's travel to Iran for training, and Jumma was arrested on November 19 upon his return to Kenya. However, in a separate report, Reuters cited the Kenyan Ministry of Interior's Twitter account, stating that 'Kenyan security officials have arrested two Iranians who were plotting several terrorist attacks in Nairobi.' This report, confirmed by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, emphasized that 'the plot has been discovered and neutralized, and the suspects are in custody.' The Ministry of Interior later corrected the claim of the detainees being Iranian, identifying 'Abubakar Sadiqloo' as a senior figure in the Shia community of Nairobi and 'Yasin Sambai Jumma' as a local resident. Reuters also reported, citing the Kenyan newspaper 'Daily Nation,' that the two men intended to attack hotels in Nairobi frequented by tourists, diplomats, and business executives, with the information sourced from police inspector Joseph Boyin. As of the time of this report, Iranian officials had not responded to the news. Reuters and the Associated Press recalled that in 2013, a court in Kenya sentenced two Iranian nationals to life imprisonment for being members of the Quds Force and planning attacks on Western targets in Kenya. The news of the arrest of these two Iranian nationals was published on June 24, 2012, when the Kenyan anti-terrorism police announced that the detainees had '15 kilograms of explosive powder' in their possession. However, just a day later, Ramin Mehmanparast, the then-spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that 'the identity of the alleged individuals is not yet clear to us, and the embassy in Nairobi is trying to obtain information and consular access to the mentioned individuals.' The detainees denied the charges against them in their first hearing in August 2012, but ultimately the court found them guilty in May 2013. Following the announcement of this verdict, Mehmanparast expressed regret over the matter, emphasizing the good relations between Iran and Kenya, and provided further details stating that the two Iranian citizens had entered Kenya 'with valid tourist visas' and were arrested 'based on a pre-designed conspiracy.' He mentioned that the arrest of these individuals occurred after the 'successful visit' of Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Kenya in June 2012. However, this was not the only arrest and conviction of Iranian nationals in Kenya, as in October 2014, a court in Kenya sentenced two Iranians who had been arrested in September of that year for entering the country with a 'fake Israeli passport' to two years in prison or a fine. At that time, Reuters reported that the two Iranians, a man and a woman, were arrested on September 18, 2014, on suspicion of plotting to carry out terrorist operations by the Kenyan anti-terrorism police at Nairobi airport. According to Reuters, the destination of the Iranian man and woman was Belgium.