By James Ntog
YAOUNDE
Cameroonian authorities have arrested three suspected members of the Boko Haram militant group in the country's Far North Region, which borders Nigeria, a local security source said Friday.
According to the source, the trio are believed to be members of a Boko Haram cell based in Cameroon.
They were arrested on Tuesday in Kousseri, a town in the Far North Region, the source told Anadolu Agency, noting that one of them – identified as Mustapha Umar, better known as "Abakar" – was suspected of being the cell leader.
According to the same source, the arrests took place "by chance."
"The raid came after local people reported suspicious movements in Abakar's home," he said.
"Neighbors saw people going in and out with big bags, and they did not know exactly where these people worked. People thought they were bandits coming out at night to attack people," the source added.
During interrogations, the source said, Abakar claimed to be a merchant, assisted by two motorcycle-taxi drivers.
But after searching his home, police found a large stock of weapons including grenades, rockets, rocket launchers and ammunition.
"Small bandits do not have these types of weapons. That's what made investigators understand that they are on to something big," the source said.
Cameroonian authorities have yet to officially announce the arrests.
Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based militant group, has been blamed for several earlier cross-border attacks in Cameroon.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in Nigeria's local Hausa language, first emerged in the early 2000s preaching against government misrule and corruption.
The group later became violent, however, following the death of its leader in 2009 while in police custody.
In the five years since, the shadowy sect has been blamed for numerous attacks on places of worship and government institutions, along with thousands of deaths.
By James Ntog
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
