A senior commander of the Al-Shabaab militant group has been detained near the Kenya-Somalia border, Somali security agencies said Saturday.
Officials said Zakariya Ismail Hersi was arrested after a tip off from the members of the public, Xinhua reported.
Hersi who is on a US wanted list, is believed to be a close aide of former Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US drone strike in September this year.
In June 2012, the US put a reward of over $3 million for the capture of Hersi, describing him as an important figure in the ranks of the Al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group.
His detention came merely a week after a UN Security Council (UNSC) committee dealing with Somalia, Dec 19, removed former Al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom from its sanctions list, six months after he defected from the group.
Security analysts said that Hersi's arrest was a big blow to the group's campaign to overthrow the internationally backed federal government of Somalia.
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