(C) FOILED CAIRO TERROR ATTACK TURNS OUT TO BE A

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 000741 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2026 TAGS: ASEC PTER EG KE SUBJECT: (C) FOILED CAIRO TERROR ATTACK TURNS OUT TO BE A NON-STORY REF: NAIROBI 627 Classified By: Pol/C Michael J. Fitzpatrick, reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The February 12 Kenyan press reports that Kenyan Police foiled an Al Qa'ida terrorist plot against Cairo appears to be another case of the media jumping the gun and getting the story wrong. While some suspects were indeed arrested following an information request from Interpol, no link to terrorist activity has yet been established. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Kenya's NATION newspaper reported February 12 that Kenyan police arrested five individuals planning a terrorist attack against the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cairo (reftel). Post is unable to confirm however, exactly how many persons were arrested, much less that they had been planning a terrorist attack in Cairo (against an already-concluded sports event) -- or anywhere else. According to contacts in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Kenya Police, CID received a cable from Interpol HeadQuarters in France requesting they track a telephone number of interest. CID investigators identified the owner of the number as a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) employee in Wajir, in Kenya's North Eastern Province (near the Somali border). The CID officers proceeded to arrest the KWS employee as well as several people he had contacted via the telephone in question. A CID contact informed LEGAT that no mention of Al Qa,ida, bombs, Cairo or Egypt was ever documented. Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) Commandant, Nicholas Kamwende, said this was a case of young CID officers blowing a case out of proportion and jumping at the possible opportunity to make a big arrest. To date, Kamwende believes there is no proof that the suspects have any terrorist connections, and the case will likely never go to trial. ¶3. (C) The newspaper article also asserted the raid was part of an international effort involving Kenyan, South Africa and Egyptian Police. According to an Egyptian diplomat in Nairobi, the Egyptian police had no role in this arrest. In fact, the Egyptians were caught by surprise when they read the article. In July 2004, the Egyptians passed information to the Kenyan Government that Kenyans of Somali origins were possibly planning attacks against Egyptian interests in the Horn of Africa. However, they never had information that anyone in Kenya was planning attack on Egyptian soil. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: This event highlights several serious issues in Kenya,s handling of terrorist activity. First, CID officers should be handing any terrorist-related investigations over to the ATPU, not running out to make pre-mature arrests on their own. In fact, Commandant Kamwende told RSO previously that ATPU needs to realign under the CID as opposed to being gazetted as a separate entity. Currently, ATPU reports to the Kenya Police leadership directly, and Commissioner Ali does not want to relinquish that oversight by joining ATPU up with the CID. The manner in which the various police and investigative entities work, or do not work, together makes terrorist interdiction a serious challenge. ¶5. (C) COMMENT (Cont.): Of course, the media,s lack of professionalism -- they apparently never asked for official police confirmation -- does not help the situation. Commissioner Ali and CID officials are now scrambling to figure out exactly how the press got their hands on the story and how they were able to blow it so out of proportion. (Self-promotion within police ranks is not out of the question.) This serves as a reminder to take Kenyan press reporting with a grain of salt. END COMMENT. BELLAMY