Deadly blast at Ugandan grilled pork joint a ‘terrorist act’, president says

A bomb that killed at least one person in a pork restaurant on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital Kampala was packed with nails and shrapnel, police said on Sunday. The explosion, which occurred on Saturday night in a suburb in the northern outskirts of Kampala at a grilled pork restaurant killed a 20-year-old waitress and injured three people, two of whom were in critical condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police said the device had been made using local materials, adding: “All indications suggest an act of domestic terror.” The police could not be reached to say whether they had identified any suspects. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said Saturday’s attack “seems to be a terrorist act and vowed to hunt down those responsible.” Museveni said he had been briefed that three people left a plastic shopping bag at the scene that later exploded. “It seems to be a terrorist act but we shall get the perpetrators,” Museveni said on Twitter. He said investigators were still combing the bomb site and more details would be released later, including advice for the public about “dealing with these possible terrorists”. “The public should not fear, we shall defeat this criminality like we have defeated all the other criminality committed by the pigs who don’t respect life,” Museveni said. Videos shared on social media showed frightened diners outside the Digida Pork Joint, lit up by flashing blue police lights. I have been briefed on the bomb incident in Kwata zone, Komamboga. The Information I have is that 3 people came and left a package in kaveera which later on exploded, killing 1 person and injuring 5 others. It seems to be a terrorist act but we shall get the perpetrators. — Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) October 24, 2021 Masked anti-terrorism police dressed in black fatigues held journalists and members of the public several hundred metres back from the blast site on Sunday. Police forensic officers in white overalls could be seen examining areas close to the scene. The explosion occurred about two hours after the start of a nationwide dusk-to-dawn coronavirus curfew. Security forces rushed to the scene in Komamboga, a fast-growing suburb about eight kilometres (five miles) north of Kampala city centre. Out of Africa: the fall and rise of Uganda’s Asian community Roadside eateries with plastic furniture cater to local residents there, particularly young professionals moving into newly constructed apartment buildings in the once-rural area. Local mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi said the bombing took place in an area popular with revellers looking for roasted meat and drinks on a night out. “The community are frightened. It was such a terrible act. People were woken up by the sound of the bomb,” he said. It is the first such deadly attack in many years in Kampala, a bustling city on the shores of Lake Victoria. But it followed an uptick in recent weeks of signs and warnings that a strike could be imminent. On October 8, Islamic State claimed its first attack in Uganda, an alleged bombing of a police post in the Kawempe area, near where Saturday’s explosion occurred. In a statement issued through its communication channels, the group claimed a unit from its Central Africa operation had detonated an improvised explosive device that resulted in injuries and damage to police infrastructure. No explosion or any injuries were reported by authorities or local media at the time, though police later confirmed a minor incident had occurred without providing further details. China sees chance to woo Uganda as West mulls sanctions However in the following days, both Britain and France updated their travel advice for Uganda, urging vigilance in crowded areas and public places like restaurants, bars and hotels. “Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Uganda. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners,” stated the updated advice from Britain. In 2010, twin bombings in Kampala targeting fans watching the World Cup final left 76 people dead. Somalia’s al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the blasts at a restaurant and at a rugby club. The attack, the first outside Somalia by the insurgents, was seen as revenge for Uganda sending troops to the war-torn country as part of an African Union mission to confront al-Shabab.