Uganda releases 18 suspects in World Cup bombings

[News_Editor]

Uganda releases 18 suspects in World Cup bombings

2010-12-01 07:40:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

KAMPALA, UGANDA (BNO NEWS) -- An Ugandan court on Tuesday released eighteen suspects on the Kampala bombings during the World Cup that left 74 people dead on July 11.

The eighteen suspects, most of them from Somali and Kenyan origin, were acquitted of charges of taking part in the July bombings. The suspects were cleared after investigations proved they were not involved in the two attacks.

The eighteen suspects were freed after a state prosecutor informed the court that the charges against them should be dropped as there was no evidence linking them to the July bombings. They have been detained since August after being transferred from Kenya.

However, shortly after being released, three of them were arrested once more. Two Ugandans and one Somali were re-arrested on separate charges. The lawyer of one of the Ugandan individuals said his client was taken into custody for allegedly acquiring goods on false pretenses.

On then other hand, seventeen more individuals were committed to a Higher Court for trial. They face charges of terrorism, murder and attempted murder in relation to the two explosion at an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby club in eastern Kampala.

Ugandan authorities also issued an arrest warrant for three new suspects: Muhammad Ali, Jaberi Mahmood Ali and Nyamadondo Hijal Sulaiman, a Tanzanian national. The three men are wanted after evidence indicate they could have been involved in the terrorist attacks.

On July 11, 764 people were killed after twin bomb attacks in the Ugandan capital. The Somali extremist group, Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was a protest against Uganda’s deployment of peacekeepers in Somalia.

The first blast happened at around 10.25 p.m. local time in an Ethiopian restaurant in Kabalagala, a neighborhood in Kampala, while the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain was underway.

Later, at 11.15 p.m. local time, two bombs exploded at Kyadondo Rugby Club in the Kampala neighborhood of Nakawa. Both exploded seconds apart as hundreds had gathered to watch the final match of the World Cup.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-01