The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), on Monday, December 19, sought to detain Laban Cliff Onserio for five days to allow the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) to investigate a case where he was arrested with an explosive inside his car. 

According to a report seen by Kenyans.co.ke, Onserio, the Standard Media Group Chief of Staff, was apprehended on Sunday, December 18, while reportedly threatening the public with a grenade.

The incident allegedly occurred in basement two of a popular church in Nairobi CBD.  

Detectives accused the former NTV anchor of failing to declare to the security guards that he was in possession of the flash-bang training system grenade.

Standard Media Group boss poses for a photo at a past event FILE

He also reportedly failed to provide a certificate to show that he legally owned the grenade, according to the prosecutor who arraigned him at the Kahawa Courts.  

The report further added that the journalist could not provide satisfactory reasons why he was in possession of the flash-bang grenade. 

"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," the report detailed. 

DCI further accused Onserio of illegally accruing the grenade in 2021, from a British national currently working with an airline company in Kenya.

He was suspected of being in possession of more flash-bang grenades, prompting the investigating team to require more time to obtain a search warrant. 

It was also speculated that the journalist had associates, and the detectives and security agencies within and outside the country launched a manhunt for the said persons.  

"The explosive device recovered has been forwarded to the Bomb disposal and hazardous unit to be forensically examined and reports are yet to be obtained and analysed," the report detailed.

In addition, his cell phones were forwarded to the ICT laboratory for forensic examination, and analysis to determine whether there were any links to terrorism. 

Police officers manning DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road. TWITTER NTV