Kenya police has warned that al-Shabaab militant group may be planning to carry out an aviation attack in Kenyan.
In a statement, Kenyan security agencies said Rashid Mwalimu, a terror suspected who underwent a pilot training course in the Philippines alongside an accomplice Cholo Abdi Abdulla is feared to be planning to sneak in the country.
“Rashid Mwalimu who is currently in Somalia should be considered armed and dangerous; he is a trained pilot who is on a mission to carry an aviation attack on behalf of the terror group al-Shabaab,” the police statement reads in part.
Security sources who spoke to Citizen TV said that Cholo, who is currently in lawful custody and Mwalimu were close friends and joined Al-Shabaab in 2015.
The duo trained and conducted attacks in Somalia before being sent to the Boni forest where they were selected for an aviation course based on their impressive academic credentials.
Late last month, the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said the advisory is consistent with the fact that Al-Shabaab remains in possession of weapons capable of hitting aircraft at low altitudes of up to 25,000 feet.
The air routes covered by the FAA warning include those connecting Nairobi and Far Eastern countries like Dubai (UAE), India and China, among other destinations serviced by major airlines.
“The January 5, 2020, complex attack on Camp Simba, which is co-located with Manda Bay Airport (HKLU), destroyed or damaged multiple aircraft, demonstrating the group’s intent and capabilities to target the aviation sector,” said the FAA in a February 26, 2021 advisory.
