Africa-Press – Uganda. Preliminary investigations into the attack on the Principal Judge’s convoy have revealed that it was hit by an improvised explosive device that had been planted by an unknown person (s) in the guard rail.
The Principal Judge, Dr Flavian Zeija, in a three-car convoy was attacked at Kalandezi Village in Buwama Sub- county in Mpigi District on Saturday at about 7pm. Despite minor damages on the vehicles, no one was injured.
Dr Zeija and his team had first thought that gunmen had shot at their car, but forensic experts have ruled out any shooting.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they haven’t established whether Dr Zeija was the target, but they recovered parts at the crime scene shows that the suspects have a degree of knowledge in making IEDs.
“We got shuttered detonator parts, pieces of wire, cut pieces of iron bars, shuttered aluminium pieces, plastic bottles, nails, which were all designed to increase the amount of shrapnel propelled by the explosion,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility of the attack. Police have also not established any suspects. This was the second roadside explosive to hit a vehicle on Kampala-Masaka highway in a week.
The first hit a vehicle driven by Alex Kusasira, a businessman, who was driving from Kampala to Kabale on April 17 at around 9:30pm. No passenger was injured.
Mr Enanga said it was too early to determine whether there is any connection between the groups that carried out the newest incidents to those in the four terror attacks that were reported Kampala and Mpigi districts last year.
He said in the two most recent incidents, the drivers of the affected vehicles didn’t stop at the attack, which he said was the right decision because the attackers could have been within the vicinity.
These incidents come months after similar cases were registered in the country last year.
The government accused the Allied Democratic Forces rebels of the attacks, which prompted it to send the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in eastern DR Congo to hunt them.
On October 7, a terror group that claimed to be associated with Islamic State claimed to have planted an IED at Kawempe Police Station, but it exploded without injuring anyone.
It was followed by another attack that left one person dead and several others injured in Komamboga, a Kampala suburb, on October 23.
On October 25, 2021, a suicide bomber exploded a bomb on Swift Safaris Coach killing him and injuring several other people.
Then two other attacks involving IEDs were carried out in Kampala City leaving five people dead.
Mr Enanga said the newest incidents show that the criminal elements have perfected the construction and use of IEDs.
In the hunt for suspected terrorists, the security agencies have killed more than a dozen terror suspects and arrested more than 100 suspects. Many of the suspects haven’t yet appeared in any court.
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