A Routine Patrol, a Suspicious Figure, and a Live Bomb, How Security Forces Stopped a Potential Massacre on a Notorious Road.
May 23, 2026 – ASAL POST
A suspected terror attack on one of North Eastern Kenya’s busiest and most dangerous roads has been thwarted after a multi-agency security team arrested a man and recovered a live improvised explosive device (IED) along the Garissa–Dadaab road on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) identified the suspect as Hussein Issa Baraki, who was picked up at the Haji Aden area after officers on routine patrol noticed him behaving suspiciously by the roadside. The moment he spotted the approaching officers; Baraki bolted into nearby bushes, a decision that ultimately led to his capture.
Security personnel gave chase through dense thickets before cornering and arresting him. Officers then escorted the suspect back to the exact spot where he had been standing before fleeing, where they discovered the IED pointing, the DCI said, to a sinister attack that was already in the making.
In addition to the explosive device, officers recovered military-style jungle attire including a jungle jacket and trousers as well as two mobile phones believed to be connected to the suspect. All recovered items are being held as exhibits as detectives widen their investigations. Baraki has since been taken to Garissa Police Station ahead of his arraignment in court.
The arrest comes barely 24 hours after security agencies engaged suspected Al-Shabaab militants and destroyed a terror hideout near the Kenya-Somalia border in a separate but related operation, where a camp believed to have been used for planning attacks and coordinating cross-border movement was dismantled.
The Garissa–Dadaab road has long been flagged as a high-risk route, with a history of IED incidents targeting security convoys and civilian vehicles. North Eastern counties bordering Somalia Garissa, Wajir and Mandera remain particularly vulnerable to Al-Shabaab activity, with the group previously carrying out attacks on security officers, public service vehicles and communication infrastructure across the region.
The DCI described Saturday’s operation as a demonstration of the unwavering resolve of Kenya’s security agencies in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, and called on members of the public to remain vigilant and continue sharing intelligence with authorities.
