Police seals off Kampala business hub over suspected explosive device

Police said the explosive device was found near Nateete's central B zone LCI offices and that traders have been asked to leave the hub as security operatives wait for the deployment of the bomb squad.

This new development comes against the backdrop of the arrest of a 28-year-old man on Sunday, September 3, 2023 who is said to have been in possession of an explosive device while entering Rubaga Miracle Centre, a Pentecostal church in Kampala, Uganda.

The suspect has since been identified by police as Kintu Ibrahim, and his links to any terrorist organisation are yet to be confirmed.

While talking to the media on Sunday, police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said they earlier received intelligence on possible terrorist attacks on places of worship in Uganda.

"We earlier got intelligence that terrorists were planning to attack Kampala Central District," he told the media, adding that some of the intelligence gathered pointed out places of worship as possible targets for the terrorists.

He told the media that Kintu had a bag with an improvised explosive device, which police defused safely.

Onyango said Kintu confessed during interrogation that he had three accomplices who had also been sent to carry out similar attacks.

"The suspect is in police custody, and he is helping get hold of his other three accomplices who are on the run," he said.

Security agencies – including Police – have now intensified patrols in Kampala in response to the recent terror threat.