Uganda’s president says Somali Islamic extremist group behind recent bomb attack

A day after a deadly explosion killed one person in Uganda’s capital, President Yoweri Museveni confirmed the Islamic terrorist group behind the attack. The statement from Museveni came after one person was killed and seven others injured in an explosion at a restaurant in a suburb of Uganda’s capital, Kampala on Saturday. According to the Ugandan President, at least three people entered the eatery in a suburb of Kampala and left a plastic bag. He said that the bag contained explosive items that later exploded. In a series of tweets, President Museveni shared details of the incident and assured to "get the perpetrators."
According to police, the deadly explosion killed one person and left dozen injured. They said that the restaurant is a normally busy place and is frequented by commuters.

Read the tweets of Uganda President:

Earlier in a statement released by the police, it said a bomb squad had been deployed following a serious blast around 9 pm local time. Police said the attack was carried out by members of the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab. According to security forces, the attackers exploded the bomb in retaliation against Uganda's deployment of peacekeeping troops to the Horn of Africa nation. Police, who have sealed off the scene, said a bomb squad is investigating the explosion, which for many revived painful memories of a deadly bombing in 2010 that killed over 70 people in Kampala. 

The UK had updated travel advisory due to a possible bomb attack

However, in the recent past, the country hasn’t seen any terrorist blasts and seemed peaceful in the last decade. It is worth mentioning the UK government updated its travel advisory in October this year in which it hinted at a possible terror attack by the extremist group. "Extremist groups are very likely to try to carry out attacks. It could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners," read the recent UK government updated travel advisory. Notably, Museveni, who has held power since 1986, is a US ally on regional security. He was re-elected in January in polls the opposition said were neither free nor fair.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP