Uganda arrested five Pakistanis suspected of terrorist links
in the African country’s oil-rich Western region two weeks ahead of the second
anniversary of the bombing attacks in Kampala for which al-Shabaab claimed
responsibility.
In 2010, Uganda was hit by a pair of suicide bombings at
screenings of the World Cup. More
than 80 people were killed.
According to Ugandan police spokesman Judith Nabakoba, the
five men were arrested after they crossed over from the Democratic Republic of
Congo, where they allegedly met with the Allied Democratic Forces. The ADF is an Islamist Ugandan group
aiming to overthrow the Ugandan government and orchestrated a series of attacks
in the late 1990s.
The five said they were only traveling to spread Islam.
After the arrests, Uganda issued a terror alert and warned
people militants may attack viewings of the Euro Cup. This, compounded by the United States Embassy in Kenya’s
warnings of an “imminent” attack in Mombasa, where a grenade attack in a bar killed at
least three, has put regional security institutions on high alert.
Both Uganda and Kenya cooperate with the United States and
other Western and African powers in Somalia and to combat Islamist militants
and other security threats in the region.
Islamist groups, such as al-Shabaab, threaten Kampala and Nairobi with retaliatory
attacks.
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