NAIROBI 

The Kenyan police have arrested 77 Chinese nationals for allegedly planning a major cyber-attack in the East African country.

Police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi said that the group was discovered after a fire had erupted in a house in Nairobi's Runda estate on Wednesday.

"A fire was reported in Runda Estate in Nairobi. We had been informed that one Chinese national had died in the fire so we had to send our officers to see if they can establish the cause of the fire," Mwinyi told The Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

"Our officers came across sophisticated gadgets in the house which we believe are capable of crippling the country's communication system," he said.

"We also came across 36 Chinese nationals huddled in a room in the house," Mwinyi said.

The police spokesman said that most of those arrested did not know how to speak English and had no papers to show that they were legally in the country.

"By yesterday evening, a total of 77 Chinese nationals have been arrested for either being illegally in the country or being part of the group from Runda," Mwinyi said.

Kenya has in the past fallen prey to hackers who have caused the country to lose millions of dollars from cyber-attacks.

A 2014 report on Cyber Security released by the Ministry of Information showed that Kenya loses over $22 million annually to cyber-crime.

The report also revealed that cyber-attacks have been on the rise since 2012.

englishnews@aa.com.tr

www.aa.com.tr/en