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.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese