LONDON, Oct 21 – Two Britons who were briefly detained in Kenya near the border with Somalia have been questioned and released by anti-terror police after their return home, Scotland Yard said Friday.
Mohamed Mohamed Abdallah, of Somali descent, and Iqbal Shahzad, of Pakistani descent, both 18, were detained by Kenyan authorities on Sunday and then deported to Britain on Wednesday.
On arrival at London’s Heathrow airport British authorities arrested them under terrorism laws and then freed them six hours later, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
The two young men had disappeared the previous week from their home town of Cardiff, the Welsh capital, sparking fears among their families that they wanted to join Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants.
A joint statement released by the Muslim Council of Wales, the Somali Advice and Information Centre and Cardiff’s Nur Al Islam Mosque read: “The two youths from Cardiff are back from Kenya and now are with their families.
“They are well and pleased to be with their families and communities. The Muslim community and the wider community welcomed this good news.”
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