NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Kenyan security officials received intelligence report on Al-Shabaab but failed to act.
Kenya Intelligence Services was warned by its western counterparts about the imminent armed group al-Shabaab plan to carry out an attack at high profile target in the country around Christmas and the new year, western and regional security officials have confirmed.
Western security officials and other sources told the UK Guardian newspaper that the warnings had been passed on several times in recent months, adding that they had been frustrated not to see a greater response from Kenyan authorities.
The undisclosed officials said they are frustrated by lack of response ahead of assault that killed 21 people including one US citizen and two British nationals in Nairobi on Tuesday.
The news of the warnings will embarrass authorities in Kenya, which is seen as a key local counter-terrorist player by the US, UK and other western powers.
One Kenyan intelligence official said information passed on by security partners about planned attacks lacked detail but that the country had been on high alert since November.
Another security source told Associated Press the extremists had confused security officials by changing target locations.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.
Kenyan police arrested two suspect in connection to the terror attack at DusitD2 hotel on Tuesday.
Four gunmen that were responsible for the assault were neutralised on Wednesday morning by multi agency Kenyan security agencies.
President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to crackdown on those who helped in planning, financing and execution of the deadly attack.
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