Police bust alleged terror cell, arrest seven suspects

The police have arrested seven suspected terrorists in raids in Butambala and Kalungu districts.

The suspects are said to be members of a terror cell in Lweza on Entebbe Road, which the government accuses of being behind the bomb attacks in Kampala City in November last year.

The police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, yesterday said the suspects admitted that they were recruited by Lweza Imam Suleiman Nsubuga, who is among the most wanted people.

“The suspects were planning to carry out attacks on security personnel and very important persons installations. We are aware of the planned attacks on Uganda by other suspects and we continue to review our security posture in the face of the targeted threats,” Commissioner of Police Enanga said.

Suicide bombers attacked Kampala Metropolitan Police headquarters on Buganda Road and Parliament Avenue,  leaving seven people dead last November.

The attack prompted the Uganda People’s Defence Forces to bomb suspected ADF camps and later launch an operation against the rebels in eastern DR Congo.

Mr Enanga said most of the information that led to the raids was given by civilians, who noticed questionable movements by the suspects.

Since November last year, more than 100 people were arrested in terror operations but less than 20 have been produced in courts of law. The rest are still languishing in unknown detention facilities.

At the weekend, President Museveni met counterparts  Felix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), Denis Sassou Nguesso (the Republic of Congo) and Faure Gnassingbé ( Togo) to ensure that there is peace in the Great Lakes region.

The three presidents praised Uganda and DR Congo for the operations in the eastern DRC.

The ADF is also accused of killing 147 people in 30 terror attacks between July 2001 and January 2021.

The rebels were defeated in western Uganda and they later fled to eastern DR Congo where they have been operating since 2007.

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