Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Abbas Byakagaba, Director Counter Terrorism, has said investigations are still ongoing to establish the exact perpetrators behind the Kamamboga bomb blast.
This follows reports in which the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement posted on Telegram, late Sunday, Islamic State claimed they plotted and detonated the bomb that went off at a local pork joint and bar, identified as Georon, in Komamboga on Saturday night, killing one and injuring several others. Reuters News Agency described the location as a place where “members and spies of the Crusader Ugandan government were gathering” in Kampala.
While addressing the media at a joint security briefing at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Byakagaba could neither deny nor confirm the allegations but said security forces are yet to ascertain the perpetrators.
“Let us not rush to what it is, apart from what we are giving you. Even the materials used are all under investigation. ISIS taking responsibility, we don’t work with ISIS and what we are going to look for are the perpetrators of this heinous incident and therefore at this moment I may not be able to comment about the claims by ISIS,” he said.
Byakagaba says all terror groups are being treated as suspects in the bomb attacks and that security forces are already making moves towards getting the culprits.
Addressing Journalists at the Police Headquarters on Sunday, the Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, said that the attack was planned by three unidentified men who first approached the bar to buy beer but later walked away and left behind a polythene bag with a bomb made of nails and other metallic objects.
The United Kingdom and France had issued advisories on October 14, 2021 to their citizens in Uganda warning of possible terrorist attacks. However, the Ugandan police reportedly assured the public that there was no need to elevate the threat levels, an issue that has caused criticism on social media.
Compiled by Minah Nalule
