Kenya deportation teenagers released by Met Police

The pair were arrested close to the Kenyan border with Somalia

Two Cardiff teenagers have been released without charge by London police after being deported from Kenya.

Mohamed Mohamed and Iqbal Shahzad, both 18, were arrested near Kenya's border with Somalia last weekend, over suspected links to Somali militants.

They were later deported and then detained by the Metropolitan Police under the Terrorism Act on arrival at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday.

It is expected they will be further questioned by South Wales Police.

A joint statement released by the Muslim Council of Wales, the Somali Advice and Information Centre and Cardiff's Nur Al Islam Mosque read: "The two youths from Cardiff are back from Kenya and now are with their families.

"They are well and pleased to be with their families and communities. The Muslim community and the wider community welcomed this good news."

Missing

It is understood no charges were brought against the men by the Kenyan authorities after questioning by the police's anti-terrorism unit.

They are understood to have gone missing from their homes more than a week ago, prompting the father of Mr Mohamed, of Somali descent, to alert police and fly to Kenya to find his son.

Abdirhman Haji Abdallah alerted the High Commission in Nairobi as well as the Kenyan police and gave them a photograph of his son.

Security forces arrested his son Mohamed close to the Somali border along with his friend, who is of Pakistani descent.

Mr Abdallah said he was reunited with his son in Nairobi, where police said they would not prosecute as he had not crossed the border into Somalia but would refer the matter to the UK authorities.

The arrests came amid an air and ground assault by Kenya into Somalia at the weekend.

Somali militant group al-Shabab has warned Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia, or face bloody battles.

Kenya had responded to several recent cross-border abductions it blames on al-Shabab.