Police have apprehended a British national suspected of involvement in smuggling explosives linked to several terror attacks in the country. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that Ferrie Dareen was arrested at Moi International Airport in Mombasa by detectives from the Garissa Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) after the discovery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) believed to have been procured by him.
At the time of his arrest, Dareen was found in possession of two mobile phones and a MacBook, which were confiscated for forensic analysis and counterterrorism investigations. Authorities hope the devices will provide critical information for the ongoing investigation. Dareen, who entered the country on September 7, 2024, had visited Kenya multiple times. “His reasons for these visits remain unclear, but detectives suggest he has connections with individuals in both Kenya and Somalia,” the DCI stated. Dareen was also carrying a valid British visa and passport (No. 123477684).
After his arrest, Dareen was transferred to Nairobi, where detectives also searched his residence at Skynet Apartments in Westlands as part of the ongoing probe. Reports suggest that he had been under surveillance before his arrest.
Kenya has been a frequent target of terror attacks, many of which are linked to the Al-Shabaab militant group. Notable incidents include the Westgate Mall attack, which killed at least 67 people and injured over 150, and the DusitD2 complex attack, which claimed 21 lives.
In September, as Kenya marked the anniversaries of major terrorist attacks, the United States issued a travel advisory urging its citizens in Kenya to exercise heightened caution due to the threat of terrorism and kidnapping. The advisory noted that locations frequented by U.S. citizens, tourists, and other foreigners in Nairobi and across Kenya remain at high risk. “Attacks may occur at any time, but concerns are particularly high around the anniversaries of prior attacks,” the U.S. Embassy warned in a statement issued on September 13, 2024.
The timing of Dareen’s arrival closely aligns with this advisory. Over the past few years, several foreign nationals have been arrested in Kenya and neighbouring countries on terror-related charges. In striking parallel, last September, a Somali military court sentenced two foreigners—44-year-old Briton Darren Anthony Byrness and 34-year-old Malaysian Ahmed Mustaqim Bin Abdulhamid—to 15 years in prison for recruiting fighters for Al-Shabaab.
The court found that Byrness, who arrived in Somalia in 2010, had worked with Al-Shabaab leaders to orchestrate terror activities in Somalia and plotted attacks in France. Abdulhamid, who joined the group in 2009, was involved in an insurgency in Somalia’s Galgaduud region. Both men were arrested by Puntland security forces in 2019 while attempting to cross into Yemen. These arrests highlight the ongoing threat posed by terror networks in Kenya and the broader region.
