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Kenyan police have arrested 16 Somali MPs and other government officials in a raid on suspected illegal migrants in the capital, Nairobi, officials say. About 300 people were picked up in the raid in the Eastleigh district, home to a large ethnic Somali population. The raid follows violent clashes on Friday between police and groups protesting at plans to deport a controversial Muslim cleric. Somalia's al-Shabab group has denied charges it was involved in the riots. Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti accused the militant Islamist group of links to the clashes, which left at least five people dead. Kenya has played host to many rounds of talks aimed at bringing peace to Somalia and many Somali officials are based there. Officials at Somalia's embassy in Nairobi confirmed that government officials, including former army General Yusuf "Dumal" Hussein, had been arrested. They are due to appear in court later on Monday. The officials stressed that those arrested held valid visas but this was disputed by a senior police official who spoke to the AFP news agency. "The security operation is part of the investigation going on after Friday's demonstrations by Muslim youths in the city centre," the unnamed officer said. The protesters were calling for the release of Jamaica-born Abdullah al-Faisal. He has been jailed in the UK for calling for the murder of Jews and Hindus. He was arrested on 31 December but Kenya has been unable to deport him because few countries are unwilling to host him.