A section of Muslim clerics and relatives of 21 youths arrested over alleged links with terrorists have questioned the motives of arresting police, saying the youths are yet to be arraigned in court three days after being apprehended.Led by the Supkem national organizing secretary Sharrif Hussein, the Muslim families want the officers to clearly explain the whereabouts of the 21 suspects.
The youths aged between 15 and 20 years, were nabbed when police officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Units raided a Madrassa on Friday evening.
“We are demanding to be told the whereabouts of our children are because majority of them are below the age of 15 years and have been held in different police stations since their arrest on Friday evening,” said Sharif Hussein, the Supkem National Organizing Secretary on Thursday.The Muslim cleric further added that the youths had just gathered to study Muslim Quran and were first accommodated at the Chumani Quran Resource Center but had to be moved later on to the madrasa to create room for several orphaned girls. “The youths had to move out of the center to create room for some orphaned girls and were accommodated by one Mzee Sharrif Idarus, who runs a hotel and cashew nut processing factory together with a mosque on the opposite side,” he added.However, police sources indicate the suspicious youths were drawn from Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Isiolo counties were engaging in activities that are closely attached with terrorism.