Uganda: Al-Shabaab Recruits in Hiding - Suspect

(tf.sf) Kampala — Several Ugandans recruited by the al-Shabaab terrorists are in hiding, a key suspect in the July 11 bombings in Kampala has disclosed.Suspected suicide bombers struck the Ethiopian Village restaurant and the Kyadondo Rugby Club, killing about 76 soccer fans watching the 2010 World Cup finals. The al-Shabaab militants in Somalia claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was a retaliatory attack on Uganda for sending troops on a peace-keeping mission to their countryThe latest information on the terrorist attacks was revealed during the interrogation of Ali Issa Ssenkumba, a Ugandan suspected to belong to the militant group. Yesterday, The New Vision learnt that Ssenkumba, who was arrested in Kenya recently, is a teenager who hails from Makindye city suburb and not Butambala county in Mpigi district. An unexploded bomb was removed in the area. Sources said the 19-year-old did not have any formal education but attended Koran schools locally known as darasa to study Islam. He belongs to the Tabliq faction and is fluent in Arabic. Ssenkumba, who is among over 30 people detained in connection with the attacks, is said to have told investigators that the bombs used in Kampala were assembled in Somalia. Ugandans, Pakistani and Somali nationals are among the detained persons.

Detectives said Ssenkumba also provided useful information linking the al-Shabaab militants to al-Qaeda. Several local and international investigators, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), continue to comb the bomb sites and several homes in Kampala.