By David Lumu
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Government security agencies have intercepted a communication from terrorists in Uganda to an al-Qaeda cell in Maghreb, North Africa, requesting for help to bomb Luzira Prisons to free eight terror suspects who are on remand in connection with the July 11, 2010 Kampala twin bombings, the Police have revealed.
The Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, made the disclosure Monday during a press briefing at the Police
headquarters in Naguru, a city suburb.
Eight suspects who bombed Kyadondo Rugby Grounds on Jinja Road and the Ethiopian Village Restaurant in Kabalagala and killed 84 people are detained in Luzira.
They await a date to be fixed by the Constitutional Court to settle a petition challenging their extradition from Uganda.
The suspects are Omar Awadh Omar, Hussein Hassan Agade, Mohamed Adan Abdow, Idris Magondu, Mohammad Hamid Suleiman, Yahya Suleiman, Mbuthia and Habib Suleiman Njoroge from Kenya and Tanzania.
Relatedly, nine Somalis and one Kenyan accused of sneaking into Uganda on a terror mission were charged in court and sent to the Police Special Investigation Unit in Kireka for further interrogation.
It is alleged the suspects, who include two Somali women, belong to the Somalia terror group al-Shabaab. They are Mahamad Abdulkadir, 31, Abdi Abdullahi, 26, Hassan Abduwali, 25, Mahamed Ahmed, 23, Yasimin Abdullahi, 20 and Hodan Ahmed, 23. Others are Yusuf Osman, 29, Abdi Mahamed, 29, Abdul Kadir, 24 and Mohamad Yusuf. They will return to court for mention of their case on October 7.
Kayihura said for Ugandans to be safe, vigilance under the new concept of community policing must be emphasised.
“Those people who bombed us in 2010 came to Uganda and stayed here for two months. We need to revive the LC system for security purposes. We must be vigilant,” he said.
However, Kayihura noted that the current legal framework makes it difficult for the Police to aggressively tackle the complexities of terrorism and other law and order-related issues.
He suggested that the Constitution should be amended to revise the caveat of not detaining a suspect beyond 48 hours.
Kayihura noted that even in western democracies, it is allowed to detain someone for at least 90 days without trial.
“We have a big challenge of working in a very difficult legal framework. For instance, you cannot detain someone beyond 48 hours. But 48 hours is impossible. You must be a very effective detective to complete the investigations within 48 hours. It is possible to change this and there is a process of Constitutional amendments, which include the changing of the name of the Uganda Police Force to the Uganda National Police,” he said.
Congratulating the Kenya police for helping Uganda to foil the recent terror cells in Kisenyi, Kayihura said: “Those who try to put us down should know that we are capable of defeating them.”
Recently, Prime Minister designate Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda told FoxNews.com that the threat of Islamic extremism “is a real problem” facing Uganda.
On October 3, the Police will celebrate 100 years at Kololo Independence Grounds where President Yoweri Museveni will launch the concept of community policing.
Kayihura also said on October 2, over 30 inspector generals of police from Africa will gather at Serena Hotel for the African Police Cooperation Organisation conference where security and terrorism on the continent would be discussed.
Source: New Vision