U.S. Embassy in Uganda tells citizens to seek shelter amid anti-terror
operation
Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:10pm GMT
* US Embassy says Uganda authorities uncover "terrorist cell"
* Says cell believed to be run by Somali group al Shabaab
* Authorities believed an attack imminent
* Ugandan police say they have seized explosives, made arrests (Adds details
from Ugandan police)
By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Uganda told its citizens to
seek safety on Saturday, warning that local authorities had uncovered a
"terrorist cell" run by Somali militant group al Shabaab, which they
believed was planning an imminent attack.
Ugandan police later said it had foiled an attack in central Kampala and was
increasing security at hotels and other public places, but declined to say
who was behind the attack.
The Embassy, in a statement published on its website, said it was not aware
of specific targets but said the authorities had increased security at key
sites including Entebbe International Airport.
"Today Ugandan authorities reported the discovery of an al-Shabaab terrorist
cell in Kampala, Uganda," the Embassy said. "We remain in close contact with
our Ugandan counterparts as investigations continue into what appears to
have been planning for an imminent attack."
At a news conference later, Ugandan police said they had seized explosives
and arrested an unspecified number of foreigners after foiling an attack.
But Fred Enanga, a spokesman for Uganda Police, declined to say if he
believed the cell was connected to Islamist militants al Shabaab or to name
the nationalities of those detained.
Uganda, as one of the countries that contribute forces to an African Union
peacekeeping mission battling al Shabaab in Somalia, has suffered militant
attacks in recent years, and al Shabaab has threatened more.
The U.S. Embassy, shortly before issuing its announcement, told its
citizens, in a message posted on Twitter, to stay at home or proceed to a
safe location while Ugandan authorities completed operations against a
suspected cell in Kampala.
The Embassy has said Uganda faces a "continued threat" and has issued other
alerts during the year about possible attacks.
Al Shabaab, which is aligned with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the
attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya a year
ago, in which 67 people died.
This month the group warned of revenge against its enemies after it said its
leader Ahmed Godane had been killed in a U.S. air strike on his encampment
in Somalia.
In 2010, Al Shabaab bombed sports bars in Uganda where people were watching
the soccer World Cup on television. (Writing by Edith Honan; Editing by
Susan Fenton)