The US embassy in Uganda told its citizens to seek safety on Saturday, saying that local authorities had uncovered a “terrorist cell” run by Somali militant group al-Shabaab, which they believed was planning an imminent attack.
Ugandan law enforcement later said it had foiled an attack in central Kampala and was increasing security at hotels and other public places, but declined to say who was behind the attack.
The embassy, in a statement published on its Web site, said it was not aware of specific targets, but said the authorities had increased security at key sites including Entebbe International Airport.
Photo: AFP
“Today, Ugandan authorities reported the discovery of an al-Shabaab terrorist cell in Kampala, Uganda,” the embassy said. “We remain in close contact with our Ugandan counterparts as investigations continue into what appears to have been planning for an imminent attack.”
At a news conference later, Ugandan police said they had seized explosives and arrested an unspecified number of foreigners after foiling an attack.
However, Fred Enanga, a spokesman for the Ugandan police force, declined to say whether he believed the cell was connected to al-Shabaab and to name the nationalities of those detained.
Uganda, as one of the countries that contribute forces to an African Union peacekeeping mission battling al-Shabaab in Somalia, has experienced militant attacks in recent years, and al-Shabaab has threatened to carry out more.
The US embassy, shortly before issuing its announcement, told its citizens — via Twitter — to stay at home or proceed to a safe location while Ugandan authorities completed operations against a suspected cell in Kampala.
The embassy has said Uganda faces a “continued threat” and has issued other alerts during the year about possible attacks.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in neighboring Kenya a year ago, in which 67 people died.
This month the group warned of revenge against its enemies after it said its leader, Ahmed Godane, had been killed in a US air strike on his encampment in Somalia.
A ship that appears to be taking on the identity of a scrapped gas carrier exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, showing how strategies to get through the waterway are evolving as the Middle East war progresses. The vessel identifying as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Jamal left the Strait on Friday morning, ship-tracking data show. However, the same tanker was also recorded as having beached at an Indian demolition yard in October last year, where it is being broken up, according to market participants and port agent’s reports. The ship claiming to be Jamal is likely a zombie vessel that
Cannabis-based medicines have shown little evidence of effectiveness for treating most mental health and substance-use disorders, according to a large review of past studies published in a major medical journal on Monday. Medical use of cannabinoids has been expanding, including in the US, Canada and Australia, where many patients report using cannabis products to manage conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep problems. Researchers reviewed data from 54 randomized clinical trials conducted between 1980 and May last year involving 2,477 participants for their analysis published in The Lancet. The studies assessed cannabinoids as a primary treatment for mental disorders or substance-use
NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT: US President Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, strangling the Caribbean island’s already antiquated grid Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed on Monday, the nation’s grid operator said, leaving about 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the already obsolete generation system. Grid operator UNE on social media said that it is investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days and that this weekend sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run nation. Officials ruled out a major power plant failure, but had still not pinpointed the root cause of the grid collapse, suggesting a problem with transmission. Officials said that
CONSERVING FUEL: State institutions are to operate only four days a week starting tomorrow, with the measures also applying to schools and universities Sri Lanka on Monday announced a shorter working week to conserve its scarce fuel reserves as it prepares for a prolonged war in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of global exports pass in peacetime, has been effectively closed by Iran in retaliation over the US and Israeli war against it, now in its third week. Sri Lankan Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi said state institutions would operate only four days a week starting tomorrow. The new austerity measures would also apply to schools and universities, and would remain in place indefinitely. “We are
RSS