British national 'arrested in Kenya on suspicion of recruiting for al-Shabaab'

Foreign Office says it is 'seeking information from Kenyan authorities'

Kenyan soldiers have been fighting al-Shabaab in neighbouring Somalia since 2011 (AP)

A British national has reportedly been arrested in Kenya on suspicion of recruiting for the jihadist militant group al-Shabaab.

The suspect was arrested alongside two women of Somali origin at a house in an up-market neighbourhood of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, not far from the UN headquarters in the country.

According to The Star newspaper, police said they found items in the house including training literature.

The three were arrested by detectives from Flying Squad and the Special Crime Prevention Unit in a noon raid on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office told The Independent: “We are seeking information from Kenyan authorities following reports that a British national has been detained in Nairobi.”

Last week, al-Shabaab militants killed six people in an attack in northern Kenya near the border with Somalia.

The incident took place at a residential block housing 33 non-Muslims near the Bulla area of Mandera county, and only the quick response of security forces prevented the death toll being higher, according to the local governor.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility through its Andulus radio station, saying it was “a well-planned attack which targeted Christian members in Mandera”.

Kenya has suffered a wave of attacks from al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab since 2011, when it sent troops into neighbouring Somalia to fight the extremist insurgency.