ADDIS ABABA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's security and intelligence joint task force said it has apprehended 454 suspects who were allegedly plotting foiled terror attacks in recent days in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
The joint task force, in a statement released Saturday to Ethiopian state media outlets, said it was able to avert major security threat, including planned terrorist attacks in Addis Ababa as a result of coordinated operations that were carried out in recent days.
The joint security and intelligence task force brings together the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), the Federal Police Commission and Information Network Security Administration (INSA).
The detained suspects were said to be affiliated with extremist groups of al-Shabab and the Islamic State (ISIS) as well as other local armed groups that were designated as terrorist organizations by the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives.
Earlier July, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of the Ethiopian parliament that dozens of terror suspects had been arrested in recent weeks in the outskirts of Addis Ababa.
The joint task force, commending the public for its valuable role in apprehending the terror suspects, further called on the public to cooperate with security forces to safeguard the city's peace and security. ■