SUPKEM National Organizing Secretary Hussein Shariff Omar (centre) at a past event. He said the youth were studying Islamic religious education at the time of the arrest and not undergoing radicalization as alleged by police. Photo/ the-star.co.keSupreme Council of Kenya Muslim (SUPKEM) has urged police to release 21 youth arrested in Chimoni, Kilifi County over claims of undergoing radicalization training. Addressing journalists at his office on Tuesday, the Council's National Organizing Secretary Hussein Shariff Omar said the arrested youth have no links to any terror group.Omar said police officers arrested the youth on Friday and they have not received any information about their whereabouts since then. He also said the youth were studying Islamic religious education at the time of the arrest and not undergoing radicalization as alleged by police.The secretary further said they had visited the police station over the matter but were not told where the youth had been taken. “We came to Kilifi police station but we were not told anything in regard to where our youths are. All we want is for the police to release them because they are innocent,” said Omar, as quoted by Baraka FM. Kilifi County Deputy Criminal Investigation Officer Christopher Chesoli confirmed the youth who hail from different counties such as Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir and Garissa are in police custody.“We had to arrest them because we were informed by members of the public that they never understood what was going on with the youth in the mosque. They are being held at Kijipwa and Kilifi Police stations,” said Chesoli. This comes at a time when the government has declared war against terror groups attempting to lure innocent youth.

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