Police says arrested Rwandan 'refugees' could  face terrorism charges

Police has cleared the air on a group of forty five  group of people of Rwandan origin arrested at the Kikagati border trying to cross over to Tanzania for a christian fellowship.

The group is detained at Nalufenya, a high profile police detention facility in Jinja District.

Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima has said that  their investigations have pointed out to a number of offences committed by the group.

"They were arrested at the border traveling with forged documents and fake identities. Two suspects were arrested in Kampala  and are their collaborators,"Kayima said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

"These individuals  are not innocent.  Police has found out that they are culpable  of more serious offences other than  forgery  including  terrorism."

The group through their lawyers last week filed a complaint before Jinja Chief Magistrate's court citing detention for more than the 48 hours mandatory by the law adding that they should be brought before court and charged.

However in response, the police mouthpiece said in a statement that investigations into their case have been completed but noted that the delay in arraigning the suspects before courts of law has been occasioned  by the festive season .

"The team has completed investigations ,pending perusal and prosecution by the DPP .The delay in court  has been  to a large  measure due to festive  season."

Kayima however noted that the group's detention at Nalufenya is legal because it is a gazetted place of detention for high profile suspects.

According to the police publicist, the crimes  committed  by the group happened  in various  parts of the country and that no one region has complete  jurisdiction  over them.

"Moreover being a large number  involved in the same offences  it is more convenient  to and efficient  to manage  them in one place."

He however denied that the 45 suspects are refugees from Nakivale refugee camp, adding that they are Rwandan national who migrated to Uganda and have been living in various parts of the country .

These developments come at a time when the relationship between Uganda and her neighbour in the South West, Rwanda is frosty following allegations of kidnap  of Rwandan dissidents and repatriated to be handed over to the Kigali government to face a number of charges.

Nine people including senior police officers are currently facing related charges for kidnapping and repatriating  Lt.Joel Mutabazi, a former bodyguard to Rwandan president Paul Kagame to Rwanda in 2013.

They are facing charges before the General Court Martial in Makindye.