Security arrest 7 over attack on Dutch nationals
Crime scene. The house in which five foreigners were attacked and injured last week. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Last week, eight-machete and iron bar wielding men attacked the volunteers.
- The gang used a metal cutter to destroy the razor wires on the perimeter fence of the residence before getting into the compound.
- The thugs robbed Shs26m, laptops, mobile phones and jewellery.
Security agencies have arrested seven suspects in the hacking and robbery of Dutch nationals in Bulange suburb in Mengo last week.
Four of the suspects were arrested by security operatives from Internal Security Organisation (ISO) who picked them from a lodge in Kampala while police arrested the other three.
Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango yesterday confirmed the arrest of the three suspects and said they were already in custody.
“We currently have three suspects in our custody in Old Kampala and we are still interrogating them,” Mr Onyango said.
However, he declined to speak about the four. “I know ISO has some suspects as well and one of them was identified by the victims. You need to speak to ISO for details,” Mr Onyango said.
The suspects in ISO custody were identified by only one name as Jonas, Richard (both from Kikooni in Makerere zone), Moses and Shafik, both from Kabowa suburb.
The identities of those in police custody were not readily established.
The ISO arrests came after a resident of Bulange picked one of the phones that the gang had stolen from the attacked Dutch nationals.
The lady handed the phone to police and later led security to where she had picked it.
ISO operatives later arrested a one Godfrey Kayaga who led them to to a lodge where they arrested the four suspects, according to security sources.
Daily Monitor has learnt that ISO took the suspects to Old Kampala Police Station where the victims positively identified one of them during the identification parade.
Col Frank Bagyenda, the ISO director general, declined to comment on the arrests and referred this newspaper to the Minister for Security, Gen Elly Tumwine. Efforts to reach Gen Tumwine were futile as he could not pick our repeated calls.
Meanwhile, Daily Monitor has learnt that the Dutch nationals shifted to another place.
The area chairperson, Mr Edward Ssenkumba, confirmed the development.
“I am yet to establish why the landlord was refusing them to leave the house,” Mr Ssenkumba said, adding that it took the intervention of police to let the Dutch nationals go.
The Dutch nationals had been paying $800 (Shs2.9m) per month in rent and still had two months running on their tenancy agreement.
One of the guards is still undergoing treatment at Mulago.
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