Ugandan police have discovered a suicide vest and explosives laced with ball bearings in a
discotheque in the capital, Kampala, suggesting the plotters of last Sunday’s terror attacks may
have planned to strike at more venues.
Blasts targeting football fans watching the World Cup final at a rugby club and at an Ethiopian restaurant in the city killed 76 people and seriously injured dozens more.
The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed
responsibility.
Police said this week they had made several arrests related to the attacks. Though reluctant
to give details, police chief Kale Kayihura said that “there could be some Somalis” among those detained.
The green suicide vest was discovered at the disco hall in the Makindye suburb. It had been packed into a small black laptop bag, with the explosives and a detonator wire.
“This is very significant to our investigation. It is consistent with what was found at both scenes of crime,” Kayihura said.
Al-Shabab is trying to overthrow Somalia’s weak government, which is protected by African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu. Ugandan soldiers
make up the bulk of the force, with Burundi also contributing troops. Uganda is also hosting
Somali government soldiers who are being trained in a European-backed programme.
The al-Shabab militants have warned they will launch further attacks in Uganda and Burundi unless the peacekeepers pull out.
While the group has carried out numerous bombings in Somalia, Sunday’s operation was the first time it has struck outside the country.
Uganda’s main opposition party said yesterday it favoured a troop withdrawal, saying the country had no strategic interest in Somalia. But President
Yoweri Museveni, who declared seven days of national mourning, is unlikely to heed that call.
The government said the AU summit, due to be held in Kampala later this month, will go ahead as planned. — Xan Rice