Police ask for vigilance in wake of US terror alert

Police have asked the public not to panic but rather be vigilant in the wake of the terror alert issued by the US Embassy.

In the alert issued over the weekend, the US Embassy warned its citizens to try to avoid crowded places after getting intelligence of a planned terrorist attack.

Commenting about the alert,  police spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke confirmed the alert is real, noting that security has put in place measures to avert the threat.

“Uganda is on forefront to fight terrorism and because of that, the terrorists are eager to revenge on us and because of this, the threats have never gone away. It is true there is a terror threat,” Rusoke said.

“We are not covering ourselves with blankets but alive to the threat.”

The police however said the public is key in averting these threats as the first line of defence by adhering to security measures put in place.

“We rely on people in taking the message seriously.  We ask the public that in case of such a warning, they should be vigilant. If you have a mall or public building, check everyone accessing it. The public should not panic but do things government has been asking you to do. If it is a concert, there should be public control measures. If you see anything suspicious, alert security agencies,” Rusoke said.

In November 2021, terrorists hit Uganda at the Central Police Station in Kampala and at Parliamentary Avenue in an attack that left 10 dead and scores injured.

The attack has since been blamed on ADF terrorist group operating in Eastern DRC .

Following the attack, Ugandan security forces carried out operations that bust ADF cells inside the country where a number of the group members and agents were either arrested or killed in action.

Consequently, the UPDF together with the DRC army deployed in Eastern Congo in an operation named Shuja that targeted ADF camps.

A number of the group members have since been either killed or captured alive while many hostages have been freed.