Terror Threat Warning at Kenyan Airports

Kenya’s major airports are on high alert this week after a warning was issued to all airport managers about a possible terrorist attack. Late last week, an internal memo was sent out warning airport employees that an Al Qaeda-linked terror group, Al Shabaab, could deploy suicide bombers trained in Somalia on airborne suicide missions.

CNN reports that after this memo was leaked to the media, Kenya’s Aviation Authority released a statement from its managing director, Yatich Kangugo, saying that this information was released before being confirmed by relevant authorities.

“We therefore wish to assure our citizens and all airport users that KAA airports and airstrips are not under any imminent threat. I wish to report that normal operations are ongoing,” Kangugo told journalists this Monday.

The memo, issued by Security Manager Eric Kiraithe, warned that Al Shabaab members could pose as passengers and target domestic flights, intending to blow themselves up during landing. The document went on to warn that the militants have received immense training on airborne suicide missions and that the attacks would most likely paralyze operations at vital facilities, compromising national security.

Kangugo says his office regrets that the information had been leaked before getting a chance to be verified by threat assessment experts from the National Aviation Security Committee.

Although Kenya’s airport authorities confirm that the country is not under any imminent threat, all major airports remain on alert.

“The public are urged to maintain vigilance and inform law enforcement agencies of any information on suspicious activities as they go about their daily lives,” he added.

This threat warning comes only a few weeks after a suicide bomber carried an explosive device disguised as a laptop onto a plane in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The explosion blew a hole in the fuselage, killing the suspected terrorist and injuring two other passengers. The pilot managed to land the plane safely after the incident.

[Photo: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport via Wikipedia]