Four held as suicide vest found near bomb sites

An unexploded suicide vest containing ball bearings was found in a disco hall in Uganda‘s capital, near the sites of two weekend bomb blasts, suggesting that militants planned another attack, officials said yesterday.

Four “foreign” suspects were arrested in connection with the find.

The discovery of the device in a suburb of Kampala yesterday was consistent with what was seen at the two blast sites, said the inspector general of police, Kale Kaihura.

The vest contained ball bearings, as did the bombs which exploded on Sunday, killing 76 people. Officials believe suicide bombers took part in the twin blasts – one at an Ethiopian restaurant, the other at a rugby club where World Cup fans were watching the tournament’s final at an outdoor screening.

“What we found here is consistent with what we found on both scenes of crime. And so this is a very significant lead in our investigation,” Mr Kaihura said.

Four people were arrested in connection with the discovery of the unexploded vest, said Edward Ochom, the director of criminal investigations. He said the four were not Ugandan but would not reveal their nationalities. Mr Kaihura hinted that Somali nationals could be among those arrested.

Al-Shabab, Somalia’s most dangerous militant group, claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attacks. The Islamists are calling for Uganda to withdraw its African Union peacekeeping forces from Somalia.

The claim by al-Shabab, whose fighters are trained by militant veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, raises the security stakes in East Africa and has broader implications globally. The group in the past has recruited Somali-Americans to carry out suicide bombings in Mogadishu.