WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There are indications that the al Qaeda-linked Somali al Shabaab militant group was behind last weekend's deadly bombings in Uganda and its claim of responsibility was authentic, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.
The attack would mark al Shabaab Islamists' first attack outside their home country, and U.S. authorities are working with regional governments to determine whether the group was plotting further strikes and "appropriate measures" that needed to be taken.
"We didn't have any advance warning," the Obama administration official said of the twin bombings in Uganda that killed 76 soccer fans watching the televised World Cup championship match on Sunday.
But the official said the attack was in keeping with al Shabaab's threats to strike more broadly.
"At this point, there are indications that al Shabaab was responsible for it and its claims are real," the official said. "They're a group of murderous thugs."
In Attack, al Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Expands Reach
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