Police nab 96 illegal immigrants in terror week.

Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander (RPC) Geoffrey Kamwela.

Police nabbed 60 illegal immigrants from Ethiopia allegedly en route to South Africa via Malawi aboard vehicles belonging to their four Tanzanian aides yesterday in two separate instances in Kilimanjaro region, amid the declared nationwide tightened security in the wake of terrorist attacks in the neighbouring Kenya and similar threats in Tanzania.

 

Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander (RPC) Geoffrey Kamwela said 52 illegal immigrants were arrested on Changbay Street in Moshi, while eight others at Kiboroloni.

 

He said the first contingent of the suspicious visitors were travelling in four vehicles driven by Elisha Manyani (45),Hamza Ali (24), Isaya Patrick (25) and Steven Swamel (39), residents of Arusha. 

 

Though no weapons were found in the cars,  RPC Kamwela did not rule out terrorist motives in the illegal odyssey, asking closer cooperation from the public especially those living close to border points in netting suspicious personalities.    

 

But the RPC was only echoing the public concern over whether the arrested immigrants had nothing to do with terrorism. 

 

 “These people might have been used by terrorist groups… we indeed need to cooperate with the police,”  said eyewitness Noel Masawe who also suggested severe penalties on those helping illegal immigrants to protect the nation from terror attacks.