From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun Jul 18 2010 - 16:42:45 EDT
Uganda police say Pakistanis among blast suspects
Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:55pm GMT
* Police say two unidentified heads suggest suicide bombers
* Number of arrested now more than 20, including foreigners
(Adds details, background)
By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, July 18 (Reuters) - Twin bomb attacks in Uganda that killed 73
people last week were carried out by suicide bombers and Pakistanis were
among 20 suspects arrested, the head of police said on Sunday.
Somali al Shabaab insurgents linked to al Qaeda have said they carried out
the attacks on a restaurant and a rugby club in the capital Kampala while
fans watched the World Cup final last Sunday, but said no suicide bombers
were involved.
"These attacks were carried out by suicide bombers. The evidence is
overwhelming ... two heads have not been claimed, neither have they been
identified. It can't be a coincidence," Inspector General of Police Kale
Kayihura told a news conference.
Al Shabaab said it was avenging the killing of civilians by African Union
peacekeepers. Ugandan forces form the backbone of the 6,100-strong
contingent in Somalia.
Such coordinated attacks have been a hallmark of al Qaeda and groups linked
to Osama bin Laden's militant network. It was the first time that al Shabaab
had carried out an attack beyond the borders of Somalia.
Analysts said after the bombings that the attack was likely carried out by
"foreign elements" in al Shabaab.
"Somalis or foreigners, the effect is nonetheless the same. It is the
foreign elements that for now dominate the al Shabaab project," Abdi
Samatar, Somalia expert at the University of Minnesota, said last week after
the attacks.
Last week police said they had arrested six of the more than 20 Somalis and
Ugandans suspected of planning the bombings.
Kayihura said on Sunday the number of arrests had risen.
"We have arrested more than 20 people arrested, some of whom are foreigners,
including Pakistanis," he said, without elaborating.
Uganda, east Africa's third largest economy, is attracting billions of
dollars of foreign investment, especially in its oil sector and government
debt markets.
But investors in Uganda and neighbouring Kenya, which shares a porous border
with Somalia, often say the threat from Islamic militants is a serious
concern. (Editing by George Obulutsa and Alison Williams)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----