Dozens of Chinese Citizens Detained in Kenya for Cyber Espionage, Fraud

NAIROBI – Kenyan police have arrested 77 Chinese nationals accused of running a cybercrime ring and high-tech spy center in the African country’s capital, local media reported on Thursday.

Those arrested were “hacking the country’s communication systems” and were in possession of equipment capable of infiltrating Kenyan bank accounts and cash, police sources said.

The head of the Criminal Investigation Department, Ndegwa Muhoro, said that the preliminary investigation shows that the alleged cybercriminals were involved in money laundering and website hacking.

The arrests began last Sunday after the group was discovered, when a server they were using caught fire and killed a member of the ring, Muhoro explained to the local newspaper, The Standard.

The Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Liu Xian Fa, has been summoned to explain whether his government was aware of this group’s activities.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohamed, insisted that the Chinese government must fully cooperate with the investigation.