Kenya arrests Ugandan linked to al Shabaab

A multi-country effort aimed at getting to the bottom of the Sunday terror attacks in Kampala seemed to be making headway as it emerged yesterday that a suspected al Shabaab terrorist was picked up by Kenyan authorities and handed over to Ugandan police. This arrest brings the total number of detainees linked to the July 11 bombings to seven. The police yesterday identified the adult male as Ali Isa Ssenkumba, a Ugandan born in Butambala, Mpigi. Police sources said Mr Ssenkumba was arrested by Kenyan police last week and handed over to the Ugandan authorities on Tuesday.

Tight-lipped

Yesterday, Ugandan authorities, however, declined to reveal circumstances under which Mr Ssenkumba was arrested and whether the arrest occurred before or after the bombings in Kampala.“The Uganda Police is, among others, closely working with the Kenyan Police and Interpol in the ongoing investigations into the Kampala bombings. The Kenyan police made an arrest and has handed over this suspect to the Ugandan police,” announced the Uganda Media Centre Chief, Fred Opolot.

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba declined to give identities or nationalities of the other six suspects in custody, saying the police are yet to fully interrogate the men. Police also said they continue to examine two still unidentified heads of what they suspect could have been suicide bombers in the Sunday deadly attacks on Kyadondo Rugby Grounds and the Ethiopian Village Restaurant at Kabalagala. “The bodies of these two men were terribly shattered by the bombs that we could only recover the heads – one from Kyadondo and the other from Kabalagala. We are doing everything in our means;from DNA tests to swabs and other tests so see if we can identify these black-skinned men,” said Police Surgeon Moses Byaruhanga.

Casualty list

According to Dr Byaruhanga, in addition to the two unidentified heads, Mulago Hospital and the Kampala City Council Mortuary received and identified 50 male bodies and 19 female. “These bodies include one Irish female citizen, one Indian male, a Sri-Lankan male, an Ethiopian male, six Eritreans, five of them male and a Kenyan,” Dr Byaruhanga said. “While the bodies of the foreigners still lay in mortuary cold room, pending collection, bodies of most of the Ugandan victims have been claimed by their relatives for burial,” he added. Three bodies, including one of an American citizen, were handled by the International Hospital Kampala.