Uganda detains 13, probes ex-spy chief over fake Kampala terror attacks
The arrests come after a probe ordered by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, into irregularities within the military's counterterrorism operations.
Uganda's Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS) is detaining 13 suspects, among them 10 Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers and three civilians, over alleged involvement in a series of terror attacks in Kampala.
The arrests come after a probe ordered by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba into irregularities within the military's counterterrorism operations.
The suspects, who include officers at the rank of Captain and Staff Sergeant, are being linked to recent incidents such as the June 3 blasts near Munyonyo Catholic Shrine and a botched bombing at Kalerwe market, where two women accused of attempting suicide attacks were killed.
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According to The Monitor, investigations have intensified after some of the soldiers implicated Maj Gen Abel Birungi, the former head of military intelligence, along with senior operatives Col Peter Ahimbisibwe and Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, accusing them of authorising questionable operations later attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Last Friday, Maj Gen Birungi was disarmed by his escorts and taken into custody at Makindye Military Barracks after hours of questioning by a board of inquiry led by Deputy CDF Lt Gen Sam Okiding.
Investigations gained momentum after Maj Gen Birungi was transferred earlier this year to head the Mountain Division in Fort Portal, where he was tasked with leading Operation Shujaa against the ADF in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Officers in the division, previously under Maj Gen Richard Otto, later flagged inconsistencies during border patrols, noting they had found no trace of ADF activity, raising questions over the intelligence from Kampala that resulted in two women being killed as alleged suicide bombers.
"Gen Birungi was summoned on Friday as a part of the ongoing investigation in the UPDF. He is currently detained at Makindye Military Barracks," Defence spokesperson Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye confirmed.
The board, which included Uganda's top security chiefs, is also examining allegations of corruption, fabricated intelligence reports and false claims regarding the death of ADF commander Meddie Nkalubo.
The death claims were initially announced by Birungi when he served as military intelligence chief, but later verified as false.
Preliminary findings have also cast doubt on several high-profile incidents that occurred over the past three years, including abandoned explosives at Pastor Robert Kayanja's church and other bomb scares across Kampala.
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