The Jackal News sources said they understood that, besides the ''UK document'' issue, his detention is also part of police investigation into the claims by the ICC prosecutor that some witnesses in the case against four Kenyans had been threatened.
Itumbi was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department officers in Embu Thursday evening and brought to Nairobi for questioning, several sources told Jackal News.
He is being held at the Muthaiga Police Station, where he spoke to reporters who visited him early this morning (Friday).
It was not immediately clear the nature of evidence that police may have against him over the document tabled in parliament on March 8.
Speculation on Twitter suggested that police had been arrested him for having access to ‘‘classified documents’’, whatever that means.
His arrest came amid a move by the journalst last week that he had given a notice to sue a blogger who allegedly linked him to the writing of the document, which also claimed that the British government was seeking the detention, by ICC of MPs William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta.
‘‘Media freedom is under threat in this country. The new constitution, even if it was voted on overwhelmingly is not working,’’ Itumbu told reporters from Muthaiga Police station early Friday.
‘‘No matter the nature of intimidation, I will not reveal the sources of the information I have. It is suicidal. I will die for it,’’ he said, suggesting that police may be seeking to question him about what he knows about the controversial document.
A friend, Martin Gitau, posted on Twitter overnight: ‘‘Intimidation as blogger Dennis Itumbi arrested by CID officers in Embu.’’
The police had not issued any statement by 2am Friday.
Last week, Itumbi, through his lawyer, issued a formal complaint against Robert Alai, asking him to apologize for allegedly linking him to the ‘‘British government’’ document or, failure to which, he would institute legal proceedings.
Itumbi
has said he is not the source of the document in question.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Githu Muigai has ordered police to investigate claims by the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, of email hacking and intimidation of witnesses.
Muigai said that he had received a complaint from Ocampo that there was “hacking of email accounts of a person of interest” to his office.