NAIROBI, Kenya

Three terrorists who escaped from a highly guarded prison in the capital Nairobi have been arrested in eastern Kenya on their way to Somalia, police said Thursday.

Mohamed Ali Abikar, Musharaf Abdalla Akhulunga, and Joseph Juma Odhiambo escaped from Kamiti Maximum Prison on Sunday.

Abikar, who was serving a 41-year sentence for involvement in the 2015 killing of 148 students in Kenya, and the two other terrorists were arrested in Kitui County, Mwingi East area after locals reported their suspicious activities to the police.

George Kinoti, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, confirmed the arrests and told reporters that the fugitives were being brought to Nairobi.

A police officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity said: “All our officers were on a red alert. The escapees were arrested after locals told police that the thirsty and exhausted suspects were asking for directions to Boni forest in Lamu county.”

The East African nation's Boni forest area, bordering Somalia, has been a safe haven for Somali-based al-Shabaab terrorists who cross over from the porous Kenya-Somali border to attack patrolling police officers.

Abdalla took part in a failed 2012 terrorist attack on the parliament buildings in Nairobi and Juma was arrested in 2019 while trying to enlist with the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab.

Kamiti Maximum prison head Charles Mutembei Gerrard and his deputy Joseph Longarianyang were among six officers who were charged on Thursday over the prison break.

Police in Kenya had placed a bounty of $534,000 on information leading to the arrests of the escaped terrorists.