Police have arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly plotting to bomb a church in Kamwenge District over the Easter weekend.
According to police spokesman Fred Enanga, their officers arrested Bwambale Sadadi, a resident of Kilembe quarters, Kamiba ward, Kasese Municipality, in Kasese district, for an attempted petrol bomb attack, targeting motorcycles that were parked during night prayers at NABI church in Biguli cell, Biguli ward in Kamwenge district.
Three motorcycles under registration numbers UEC 288D, UDT 809U, and UDL 356B, were slightly damaged, he said.
“The suspect and his accomplice tried to escape using their motorcycle under registration number UFE 568A, Bajaj Boxer, red in color, but they were aggressively pursued by the church security guard and other church members. They arrested Bwambale as his accomplice escaped,” Enanga said.
In a separate development, police are searching for 16 family members who disappeared from Konge – Lukuli parish, Makindye division, to reportedly join the ADF rebel group.
“They unanimously sold off their shops, butchers, bodabodas and other household properties in their possession. They later sent an audio message saying “we have decided to go and join the best Muslim community. There is no good or best muslim people in Konge better than the ones we are joining,” Enanga told journalists on Tuesday.
The five heads of families include; Abdu Rahman Sseruwenda, aged 35, Abdu Rushid Ssemaganda aged 34, Ashraf Lusiba aged 35, Ibrahim Kintu aged 32 and Hussein Waligo aged 28.
“We continue to pursue perpetrators involved in the mobilization of Ugandans into the ADF ranks of terror. We are also actively monitoring all spaces in homes, businesses, families and places of worship which are acting as domains for recruitment and collection centres for ADF recruits. We would also like to caution parents against handing over their children to such hostile criminal elements,” he said.
Enanga added that security agencues in Ntoroko district intercepted two suspected ADF operatives, as they tried to cross into the DRC through Haibale parish, Bweramule subcounty, in Ntoroko district.
These include; Ngoma Ndagala, a 58-year-old, refugee at Kyaka 2 refugee settlement and Fikiri Yantashije, a 23 year old, Congolese National, who claimed they were going to collect their National IDs from the DRC. “Upon search, they were found with explosive devices and transferred to the Divisional Headquarters in Muhoti. We call upon all Ugandans to reject terrorism in all its forms, because it totally undemines the fundamental values of liberty, humanity, freedom and togetherness, which our country was founded on,” Enanga said.
“As the Joint Security Agencies, we continue with our operations aimed at preventing, deterring, stopping and dismantling the ADF infrastructure in the country and any other deadly plots against Ugandans and other citizens in the country,” he added.