German Turk Arrested For Nairobi Bomb Attack, Al Shabaab Link Suspected

By Jacey Fortin | June 13 2012 11:12 AM

Tanzanian officials have arrested a German national for his suspected involvement in a bomb attack in Nairobi last month. The blast occurred during lunch hour at a busy shopping center on Mio Avenue; it injured at least 30 people but resulted in no fatalities.

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A blast ripped through a small shopping complex in Nairobi, wounding at least 30 people.

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The BBC reports that the suspect, Emrah Erdogan, is of Turkish origin but has acquired German citizenship. Kenyan police suspect that he entered Kenya from Somalia, where he had been fighting for militants of the Islamist terrorist group al Shabaab.

Al Shabab has become a significant threat to Kenyan national security, especially after the Kenyan government crossed into Somalia to help battle the movement last October.

Erdogan was one of four people being trailed by Kenyan police since the shopping center attack. He is currently being detained; there are no details yet on specific charges or a possible trial date.