Standard Group Chief of Staff Laban Cliff arrested with explosive in Nairobi church

Standard Group Chief of staff Laban Cliff Onserio is under detention by the Anti Terror Police Unit (ATPU) after he was reportedly found with an explosive.

Onserio is said to have threatened members of the public at a church in Nairobi with the explosive on Sunday. The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit responded to the scene after calls of distress reached them.

"The respondent was arrested by a multi-agency team who responded at the scene after receiving information about a terror threat.

"He had not made a declaration to the security guards that he was in possession of the Flashbang training system grenade," said the DCI.

The seasoned journalist could not substantiate why he was in possession of the material nor did he provide certification for the explosive.

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According to a sworn affidavit by Vincent Mutai an officer attached to the ATPU, Onserio is suspected to be in possession of more explosives and that they may have been illegally acquired.

“The respondent is suspected to be in possession of more flash-bang training explosives which the investigating team requires more time to obtain a search warrant to recover.

“Preliminary investigations reveal the respondent acquired illegally the flash-bang grenade from a British national currently in 2021,” the affidavit said.

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Authorities are now seeking orders to detain Onserio for five days to allow for investigations into the matter. His cell phones were forwarded to the ICT laboratory for forensic examination, and analysis to dig for more information.

The explosive device recovered has also been forwarded to the Bomb disposal and hazardous unit for forensic examinations.