Kenya Terror Threat: 10 Explosives Found Hidden in Bus Luggage—Al-Shabaab Link Suspected
A routine security patrol turned into a major anti-terrorism operation yesterday when commandos intercepted a Tahmeed Coach bus on the Kanyonyo-Embu Highway in Kitui County, discovering concealed explosives among passenger luggage.
According to police reports, the multi-agency security team conducting highway patrols stopped the bus, which was traveling from Mombasa to Meru, and during their inspection discovered a cache of dangerous materials hidden inside what appeared to be an innocent milk carton.
“The explosives were hidden inside a medium-sized carton labelled LATO Milk that was concealed within the bus’ luggage consignment,” police officials stated.
Authorities recovered ten watergel explosives, a red explosive code, and two white cables with metallic ends believed to be detonators.
The driver, Lawrence Kioko Mutuku, and conductor, Said Rashid Amour, were immediately arrested, and the vehicle has been detained at Kanyonyo police station while investigations continue.
This interception comes amid heightened security concerns across Kenya’s transportation sector.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned Crown Bus Services, another Kenyan transport company, for allegedly providing logistical support to Al-Shabaab militants and laundering funds for the terrorist organization.
In a separate but equally concerning incident, police in Makueni County arrested two suspects in possession of high-powered firearms.
The suspects were found with an AK47 rifle containing 25 rounds of ammunition and two magazines, as well as a G3 rifle with 20 rounds and multiple magazines. Police are investigating the source and intended use of these weapons.
These incidents follow a troubling pattern of arms trafficking and terrorist activity in the region.
Just last week, authorities recovered two AK47 rifles believed to have been used in the murder of National Police Service reservists in Igembe, Meru County on April 7.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced plans for a joint security operation involving the Kenya Defence Forces to address the growing threat of banditry in Meru, Isiolo, Laikipia North, and Samburu East.
“We will set up an operation base in Kirimon Laikipia to resolve the problem in Mukogodo forest where the bandits have been hiding. The KDF will lead the operation,” Murkomen said recently.
As investigations continue into the Tahmeed Coach incident, security experts warn that public transportation remains vulnerable to exploitation by criminal and terrorist networks operating across East Africa.
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has issued a stark warning over President William Ruto’s recent decision to abolish the vetting process for national identification cards (IDs), calling it a “disaster” and a “serious national security threat.”
Natembeya, a former regional administrator with extensive experience in Kenya’s North Eastern region, cautioned that the move could lead to the infiltration of Al Shabaab militants into the country’s security organs and even the highest levels of government.
“One day, we are going to have an Al-Shabaab as the President’s escort,” Natembeya stated, emphasizing the gravity of the potential threat. He expressed concern that without the vetting process, it would be challenging to distinguish between Kenyan-born Somalis and individuals from Somalia, given their shared cultural and linguistic traits.
“If you allow people to walk in and get IDs without vetting, how will you tell a Somali from Somalia and a Somali born and bred in Kenya? Their culture and appearance are the same, and that’s why the vetting was crucial,” he elaborated.
Natembeya’s remarks come amid growing concerns over the implications of the government’s decision to disband the vetting committee, which was previously tasked with verifying the authenticity of applicants for Kenyan IDs, particularly in border regions.
Critics argue that the move, ostensibly aimed at streamlining the ID issuance process, could open the floodgates for illegal immigrants and militants to acquire Kenyan documents, posing a significant threat to national security.
Al Shabaab Infiltration Fears
The governor warned that the removal of vetting could enable Al Shabaab militants, who have long operated in neighboring Somalia, to acquire Kenyan IDs and passports, allowing them to roam freely within the country and even infiltrate key security agencies.
“The Al Shabaab who kidnapped the chiefs will now be given Kenyan IDs. A time will come when they’ll dominate the Kenyan army, police, and even become the presidential escort, since they’ll now be able to disguise themselves as Kenyans,” Natembeya said.
He further cautioned that the militants could use Kenyan documents to launch attacks on friendly nations, such as the United States, potentially leading to international repercussions.
“These people will go on to attack our friendly countries, like America, using Kenyan IDs and passports. Our country will be flagged, and you’ll be denied visas. The consequences are going to be catastrophic,” he added.
Historical Context and Bribery Allegations
Natembeya, who previously served as a regional commissioner in the North Eastern region, highlighted the historical challenges of managing ID issuance in border areas. He revealed that even with the vetting committee in place, corruption and bribery had allowed many non-Kenyans to acquire national documents.
“Most of the people who apply for Kenyan IDs come from Somalia. They’ve been able to acquire them before by bribing the committee members. Now that it’s been opened for all, we’re going to have many Al Shabaab members coming into our country. They’ll infiltrate even our key security organs, from the KDF to the police. This thing is dangerous,” he said.
President William Ruto signing the Presidential Proclamation on Registration and Issuance of IDs to Border Counties at Orahey Grounds in Wajir Town on February 5, 2025. PHOTO/@WilliamsRuto/
Long-Term Implications
The governor also warned of the long-term implications of the policy, predicting that in four to five years, Kenya could see a significant increase in the number of foreigners registered as citizens.
He cautioned that these individuals could eventually gain political influence, vying for and winning elective positions.
“In another four or five years, I can assure you we will have more foreigners in Kenya registered as Kenyans. They’ll be voters, even vying for seats. They’ll become MCAs, MPs, governors, and even president. I want you to mark this: soon, this country will be hell,” Natembeya said.
Calls for Reconsideration
Natembeya urged President Ruto to reconsider the decision, emphasizing that national security should not be compromised for the sake of political expediency. “This thing is going to cause problems. You shouldn’t play populist politics with security, Mr. President,” he said.
President Ruto announced the abolition of the vetting process during a tour of the North Eastern region, describing it as a step toward ending historical discrimination against communities in the area. “We will remove vetting in the processing of National Identification Cards and passports, which has derailed the people of Northeastern Kenya for far too long,” Ruto stated.
While the president’s directive aims to promote inclusivity, it has elicited mixed reactions. Governors from other border counties have called for the extension of this policy to their regions, arguing that stringent vetting requirements have prevented many residents from obtaining IDs. “Being identified, accounted for, and known to belong to a certain place is a fundamental right of every Kenyan. When your number is not documented, it displaces you,” noted Migori Governor Ochillo Ayacko.
Conversely, some leaders and security experts share Natembeya’s apprehensions, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that ensures both inclusivity and national security. The debate underscores the complex interplay between human rights and security considerations in policymaking.
As the nation grapples with these concerns, the government faces the challenge of implementing policies that uphold the rights of all citizens while safeguarding the country’s security interests.
The Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab militants who recently abducted five local chiefs from Mandera county have demanded a ransom of Sh7million.
The kidnapping, which occurred last Monday, a day before President Ruto arrived in Mandera for an official visit to the region, sent shockwaves through the community and prompted local elders to raise the required funds.
The five chiefs named Mohammed Adawa, Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Noor, assistant chief Ibrahim Gabow, senior chief Abdi Suraw were on their way to Elwak for official duties when their vehicle was intercepted by the militants near Iresuki village.
Sources revealed that the militants blindfolded the chiefs and took control of the vehicle, before driving towards Lafey, an area notorious for such attacks.
Security officials said the militants seemed to have prior knowledge of the chiefs’ movements, suggesting local complicity.
The officers were kidnapped just a day before President William Ruto’s visited the area for a development tour, raising alarms about the ongoing security challenges in the region.
After the kidnapping, the community tried to raise the ransom money without much success. Elders from Mandera and Nairobi held separate meetings to initiate fundraising efforts, but it remains unclear how much has been collected.
The urgency of the situation has intensified calls for government involvement, as many fear negotiations with terrorists could set a dangerous precedent.
President Ruto who spoke at Moi Stadium in Mandera County Thursday instructed the security agencies to make sure the chiefs returned home safe and sound. He also warned that he would not cede any territory of Kenya to terrorists even as he warned the war on terror will be won.
Meanwhile in Isiolo County, the Inspector General of Police has clarified that suspect Sadam Buke is in police custody and not missing as earlier reported.
Buke was arrested during the Operation Ondoa Jangili that was being conducted in both Marsabit and Isiolo Counties. He is suspected to have been a key facilitator and coordinator of Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Marsabit and Isiolo Counties.
A statement by the police, “We wish to clarify that Sadam Buke is in lawful custody alongside others. He is suspected of being a key facilitator and coordinator of Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Isiolo and Marsabit Counties.”
The National Police Service has further reiterated its commitment to comply with constitutional standards of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Operation Ondoa Jangili is a special security operation that was launched by the National Police Service to target the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Marsabit and Isiolo Counties.
The Al-Shabaab group in Somalia released a video of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) serviceman, who was allegedly captured during the El-Adde raid which left dozens of soldiers dead and hundreds of others critically injured.
In their propaganda video, Abdullahi Isse Ibrahim whose kin believed to have been killed is seen in military fatigue, similar to those worn by the Kenya Army of KDF, but the rank cannot be seen. His name is not written on the military fatigue, as is the custom of the KDF for any officer, serviceman, or woman.
The soldier, is heard making a passionate appeal to the government of Kenya to initiate his release, arguing that the eight years he has been in captivity have been tormenting, adding that the release was long overdue.
“I was born in Wajir County in 1963 and joined KDF in 1986,” Abdullahi is heard narrating his ordeal. “I served in the 9th Battalion (Eldoret-based) and came to Somalia in 2016, just 15 days before we were taken in captivity by the Al-Shabaab. “
While confirming he is a war prisoner, he adds: “There has never been a communication from the Kenyan government over our fate. I have not seen my wife and family for all this long and we live at the mercy of our tormentors — Al-Shabaab.”
Although he never mentioned the number of people captured during the deadly attack, he accurately narrates the events leading to the pre-dawn attack on 15th January 2016, targeting a KDF Forward Operating Base in El-Adde within the Gedo region of Somalia.
Family appeal
Believing that he had been killed, his family in Eldoret had given up on seeing him alive and gone ahead to perform death and burial rituals in line with Islamic beliefs.
The family had even received a death permit from KDF and used it to secure other vital documents from the government.
His wife and the mother of his five children had suffered a stroke after their father went missing and has remained in a coma since then.
On Wednesday, January 15, however, his family received a report that their kin was alive following a video clip allegedly posted on social media by the Al Shabaab militia.
Following the video, the family is convinced that their kin is alive.
“As a family, we were convinced that he was killed by Al-Shabaab six years ago, but when we saw the video we are now certain that he is alive,” said Katra, his eldest daughter.
Speaking to journalists at the Eldoret Maili Nne estate home of the KDG soldier, Ms Katra said the video footage was of her father whom she authoritatively identified.
Kin believe KDF soldier abducted by Al Shabaab alive, after seeing video
She said her mother suffered a stroke after their father went missing and has remained in a coma since then.
Ms Katra said during the conversation with her father, she asked him to request his abductors to send the family his current video, to which he promised that his abductors were going to send the video through their media.
She insists that she identified the voice as her father and went on to request him to request his abductors to send the family either his recent photo or video to enable them to start a journey of finding him help.
Ms Katra said true to their promise, the al-Shabaab abductors had posted the video through an X page perceived to belong to them.
Following the video, the family says it strongly believes that their kin is still alive contrary to their prior belief that he was killed by the militia.
Ms Katra said from the conversation with her father, it was clear that he was a desperate person in need of help.
The family is now pleading with the Kenya government to intervene and ensure the release of the abducted man.
“My appeal to the President as a father and commander in chief of the armed forces is to kindly help us to bring our father home,” appealed Ms Katra.
The militants ran riot in the El-Adde camp, killing over 200 soldiers while injuring others. Only a few survivors were rescued as Al-Shabaab captured others alive and their whereabouts remain a mystery. KDF and the Kenyan government have never given an accurate report on what might have transpired.
The El-Adde attack was the worst-ever defeat to KDF soldiers serving in peacekeeping missions, with the Kulbiyow raid a year later within Somalia, also claiming 70 soldiers. Since then, KDF has liberated several strategic towns in Somalia besides neutralizing many militants in the process both in Jubaland and within the border.
Kenya started withdrawing its troops from the country in April 2022, and last year, then Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told the National Assembly that the last troops would leave by December 31, 2024.
A Kenyan man was convicted Monday of plotting a 9/11-style attack on a U.S. building on behalf of the terrorist organization al-Shabab.
A federal jury in Manhattan found Cholo Abdi Abdullah guilty on all six counts he faced for conspiring to hijack an aircraft and slam it into a building, according to court records.
He’s due to be sentenced next March and faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.
Abdullah represented himself during the trial, which opened last week. He declined to give an opening statement and did not actively participate in questioning witnesses.
In court papers filed ahead of the trial, prosecutors said Abdullah intended to “merely sit passively during the trial, not oppose the prosecution and whatever the outcome, he would accept the outcome because he does not believe that this is a legitimate system.”
Lawyers appointed to assist Abdullah in his self-defense didn’t respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Federal prosecutors, who rested their case Thursday, said Abdullah plotted the attack for four years, undergoing extensive training in explosives and how to operate in secret and avoid detection.
He then moved to the Philippines in 2017 and began training as a commercial pilot.
Abdullah was almost finished with his two-year pilot training when he was arrested in 2019 on local charges.
He was transferred the following year to U.S. law enforcement authorities, who charged him with terrorism-related crimes.
Prosecutors said Abdullah also researched how to breach a cockpit door and information “about the tallest building in a major U.S. city” before he was caught.
The State Department in 2008 designated al-Shabab, which means “the youth” in Arabic, as a foreign terrorist organization. The militant group is an al Qaeda affiliate that has fought to establish an Islamic state in Somalia based on Shariah law.
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off in Elwak Town, Mandera County, killing at least five people. Witnesses reported seeing at least five people motionless following the incident, which occurred opposite a local Administration Police camp.
The victims are four non-locals and a local one, including teachers, nurses, casual laborers, and police officers.
Equity Bank suspended operations at their local branch following the explosion, stating that they are safe.
Officials believe the incident was set up by al-Shabaab terrorists or their remnants operating in the area. The explosion may also have been set up by local extremists hiding behind al-Shabaab terrorists. This is the latest such incident in the area amid ongoing operations to tame terror activities.
On April 13, gunmen suspected to be al-Shabaab militants raided a local hospital and terrorized guards on duty. The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which the terrorist group frequently breaches.
Police have increased operations in the area to address terror threats, including increased deployment of security officers. They have been staging operations to downgrade the activities of the terrorists, who have been attacking places in the region, especially in Mandera and Garissa counties after breaching security zones, leaving dozens of civilians and security officials dead and others wounded.
Armed with explosives, Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants overrun an African Union military base in Somalia on Friday morning, eyewitnesses said, causing massive destruction of infrastructure and possible deaths, but the number is yet to be confirmed by either AU forces or the government of Somalia.
The militants used a series of explosives to storm the Bulo Marer base which is located about 110 kilometers South of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, which is manned by Uganda People’s Defense Forces [UPDF], witnesses said. The group, using its usual media sites, said it “completely overrun the base”.
Al-Shabaab claimed to have overrun the base and killed 137 Ugandan soldiers serving under the AU mission in Somalia [ATMIS]. There were no indepenedt sources confirming the claim.
In a tweet, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] confirmed the deadly attack, noting that the forces are “currently assessing the situation”. The peacekeepers did not give the number of casualties from the dawn attack, which comes against the backdrop of sustained operations against the group.
“This morning, ATMIS Forward Operating Bases [FOB] in Bulo Marer came under Al-Shabab attack,” the mission troops said in a statement without giving many details. “ATMIS forces are currently assessing the security situation. More information will be issued later.”
According to locals, the troops under attack called for reinforcement, and drones “could be heard everywhere”. The Ugandan troops man Sector I of ATMIS which covers Mogadishu and her environs and has been operating in the country since 2007 when Al-Shabaab first struck in Somalia.
Friday morning raid is the first serious assault in a military base in as many months and it comes amid reports of “relative stability ” within Mogadishu, informed by the recent first phase operation against the militants which left at least 3,000 Al-Shabaab members dead according to the government.
Somalia has also asked for reinforcement of non-ATMIS soldiers as it prepares for the second phase of operations against Al-Shabaab in Jubaland and Southwest. “We need your support to crush these militants and we are almost there,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said while confirming that the new contingent from Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia will serve for three months only.
Early this month, stakeholders including Troops Contributing Countries agreed on a systematic and strategic drawdown of ATMIS troops in Somalia effective June this year. The peacemakers will facilitate scaling down of the first batch of 2000 soldiers and in coming weeks, another 3000 soldiers will leave.
The attack also comes a few days after the US launched a serious attack against Al-Shabaab in Jilib town, their only known headquarters, injuring Osman Mohamed Abdi, the head of external operations in Al-Shabaab. State media reports that the commander is in a “critical condition”.
Also, the US sanctioned five Al-Shabaab commanders on Tuesday, with the Treasury Department also designating 26 operatives and individuals who have allegedly been supporting Al-Shabaab militants. This comes days after Al-Shabaab released a video allegedly of its leader Abu Ubaidah, who insisted that the group has not lost territory.
Recently, the African Union confessed that the war in Somalia has left over 3,500 peacekeepers dead and several injured since they reported to Somalia. The union has used over $200 million for compensation, with a quarter of the money going to injured soldiers, the report notes.
Cases of raids against peacekeepers are common in Somalia, with the worst raid coming in 2016 when the militants attacked the Kenya Defence Forces FOB in El-Adde, killing over 200 soldiers. The attack, which neither Kenya nor AU has ever released a report on, is the worst in history according to security analysts.
In a remarkably unreasonable and perhaps bizarre, ruling in Kenya, a judge has released from jail, a convicted terrorist who was serving a life sentence, despite the grave risks of recidivism. Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, also known as Mohamed Seif, a member of the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, Harakat al-Shabaab al Mujahideen, pleaded guilty to multiple terrorists attack in the Capital Nairobi. Alongside Felix Nyangaga Otuko, Bwire was responsible for the killing of 11 people at Machakos Country bus station and a grenade attack at Mwaura’s ba. He was sentenced to life in prison by a Nairobi court. A Terrorist and a murderer, Bwire is now is free, another indictment on the Kenyan Judiciary. The rationale of releasing a convict who willingly committed acts of terrorism besides murdered a dozen persons is incredible.
Prison Radicalization and Terrorist Recidivism.
Criminal psychologists warn that the recidivism rate of terrorism offenders is higher than that for ordinary criminal offenders and that affiliation with a terrorist organization significantly increase it. Prisons are frequently designated as the “hotbeds” of radicalization to violent extremism.
When Benjamin Herman, a 36-year-old Belgian, walked out of prison in Liege with a two-day pass on May 28, he was a man on a mission. That evening he killed a drug dealer he had met behind bars by beating him with a hammer. The next morning he attacked two policewomen from behind and repeatedly slashed them with a box cutter while screaming “Allahu akbar!” He took a service pistol from one of them and shot them both dead. He continued down the street and killed a man in a parked car before taking a woman hostage in a school. She was a Muslim and appealed to him to not hurt the children. His murderous mission, and life, ended soon after as he attempted to flee from the school. He exchanged gunfire with police, wounding four officers, and was shot dead.
Criminal Risk Factors for Terrorist Recidivism
Whether they are in jail or after their release: terrorist suspects attract public attention. Most try to recruit fellow inmates for their battles, vigorously demonstrated against the regime under which they were detained or made new violent plans for the (near) future. Bwire is no exception. Throughout the time he was in prison, he kept aspiring for ‘shahada’, the ultimate goal of every jihadist. During his sentencing, he told the judges he did not regret bombing innocent civilians to death (no expression of remorse and antisocial attitudes are indicators of possible recidivism). The risk posed by Bwire is grave. He is likely to commit acts of terrorism to revenge and avert being taken out without having achieved his goal ‘shahada’. In the United States, several former Guantanamo detainees transferred into foreign custody have engaged in high-profile acts of terrorism against the U.S. or its allies.
Examples of terrorists recidivism are plenty. Mishaal Mohammed Rasheed al Shadoukh, a former Guantanamo detainee repatriated to Saudi Arabia in 2003 and a participant in Saudi Arabia’s terrorist rehabilitation program, delivered al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) ransom demands following the organization’s kidnapping of a Saudi diplomat in Yemen. Another recent case is that of Ibrahim al-Rubaish, the latest mufti of AQAP, who in 2009 released an audiotape in which he used Islamic doctrine to justify an assassination attempt on Saudi Prince and Minister of the Interior, Muhammad bin Nayef, and al-Qaeda’s use of targeted assassination against “the enemies of Islam,” more generally. Ibrahim al-Rubaish had, in 2001, been captured by U.S. soldiers and was subsequently detained at Guantanamo Bay until December 2006, when he was repatriated to Saudi Arabia and enrolled in the terrorist rehabilitation program there. In April 2008, al-Rubaish fled Saudi Arabia, allegedly with 11 other former Guantanamo detainees, to join AQAP in Yemen. This is the kind of threat Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, also known as Mohamed Seif poses to the security of not only Kenya, but the region and beyond.
David Goldman is the Director of Counter Terrorism, National Security, and Intelligence Analysis at Strategic Intelligence.
Money reimbursed to Kenya to facilitate the payment of troops fighting the dreaded Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia for the half-year period to December 2020 was Sh8 billion short of Treasury’s target as audit report showing that there are payments made to ghost soldiers.
Data from the exchequer shows that grants from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that gets funds from European Union (EU) and other partners amounted to Sh1.45 billion in the period between July-December period when the budget stood at Sh9.45 billion.
Contributions from Amison accounts for about 25.22% Sh489.60 million) but was Sh1.94 billion in a similar period in the year 2019. These revelations come after an audit conducted by PwC Associates Ltd discovered that payments are made to soldiers who had left Somalia leading to the loss of millions of dollars between 2016 and 2018.
The revelations have pushed the National Treasury to cap it’s target from Amison for the period ending June 2021 to Sh7.4 billion from an initial target of Sh24.1 billion as Kenya expects some Sh2.5 billion in the next financial year before the coffers run dry prior to KDF’s full withdrawal from Somalia.
Members of Al Shabaab militia [p/courtesy]Kenyan troops serve for one year in the war torn country before they are alternated with each soldier earning about Sh87,200 after the government deducts some Sh21,800 to cater for administrative costs.
Funds from the EU cover allowances for Amisom soldiers, police, operational costs for Amisom offices, international and local civilian salaries but Kenyan funds have been declining with Kenya reducing the number of its troops to Somalia.
In 2018 there were reports that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) would begin a two year withdraw plan after they entered Somalia under the aegis of “Operation Linda Nchi” on October 14, 2011 in pursuit of Al Shabaab terrorists who were abducting and killing aid workers and tourists in North Eastern and Coast.
But on February 25, the 15-member UN Security Council agreed that African Union should maintain their troops under Amisom until March 14.
The Inspector General of Kenya police, Hillary Mutyambai, has released the names of most wanted fugitives terrorizing Mombasa residents.
According to police reports, all the 10 most wanted criminals are Al-Shabaab returnees from Somalia. The crooks are also said to be behind the increased murder of corps in the Coast region. The named gangsters are:
Ali Shando alias Mzalamu
Zamdini alias Sheli Sheli alias Mwarabu
Adisi Mwanenda
Mohamed Bakari Mwachidiwa
Mohamed Mwinyi Mwachidigo
Suleiman Bakari Mwasura
Bakari Hassan Setu
Hamdi George
Adam Hamisi Jabalenni
Ali Tengeza
According to IG’s report, the named criminals have a vast web of fugitives beyond Mombasa and are said to be targeting other areas like Likoni, Malindi and Kwale County.
“As part of ongoing operations, police are looking for several individuals within the Coastal region suspected to be involved in criminal activities targeting the public and security agencies,” reads part of IG’s statement.
“The group is suspected to be part of the gang that killed Sheikh Omar Fumbwe and Bakari Hamisi Mwadondo in August 2019. They are also suspected to have participated in the killing of Pastor Isaac Houghton in 2018,” the statement added.
