Ugandan Court Find Seven Guilty in 2010 Twin Bombings in Kampala

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On May 26, 2016, Issa Ahmed Luyima along with six accomplices were all found guilty of carrying out the twin bomb blasts at a restaurant and sports bar that killed 76 people in Kampala, as spectators were watching the finals of the 2010 World Cup. The terrorists claimed to be linked to the al-Shabaab terror group targeted Uganda, which provides the largest amount of African Union (AU) soldiers who fight against al-Shabaab.

The seven defendants sat through a six hour long trial overseen by Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, who read the verdict sentencing each suspect to life in prison.

The 7 defendants were all tried under Uganda’s anti-terror law and had been brought up on charges of terrorism, murder, and attempted murder.  The defendants were of mixed nationalities including Ugandans, Kenyans, and Tanzanians.

The six other suspects found guilty of being directly connected to the terrorist attacks in 2010 include Sulieman Nyamandondo, Mohammed Ali Mohammed, Muhammed Suleiman Habib, Hassan Huruna Luyima, Habib Suleiman Njoroge, Hussein Hassan Agade, and Idris “Christopher” Magondu.

Boston ABC television affiliate WCBV reported another suspect, Muzafaru Luyima, was sentenced to one year community service for being an accessory to the attack. Evidence showed he had heard a conversation regarding his brother Hassan, who was supposed to detonate the third bomb.

The terror case was brought to court after a major investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I). The BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga noted that it was a cell phone next to a bomb that did not detonate, which led investigators to track down the terrorists.

According to Ugandan prosecutors Luyima carried out the bombings by smuggling bombs from Kenya into Uganda, and Luyma would then leave Uganda one day before the attacks to avoid being criminally linked.

In addition, prosecutors detailed that Luyima had traveled to Somalia to train with al-Shabaab. Luyima had disappeared from Uganda in 2009, but returned in January 2010.  Lumiya was to set up a base of operations in Namasuba, and scout for potential targets. Luyima’s neighbors in Namasuba knew him only by his alias “Moses”, which prosecutors say is the same name he used to transfer money from Kenya to Uganda.

While, al-Shabaab still operates largely within Southern Somalia, it has developed cells in neighboring East African countries including Kenya and Uganda. The group has also shown its capability to utilize large scale attacks on soft targets in Kenya, including the West Gate Mall 2013 incident killing 67, and the attack on Garissa University, killing 148 people in 2015.

The prosecution of jihadists linked to the 2010 Kampala bombing has been difficult, as al-Shabaab jihadists waged a campaign of violence to prevent these proceedings from ever taking place. On March 31, 2015, acting assistant district prosecutor  Joan Kagezi , who was leading the prosecution team against Kampala bombings, was gunned down by al-Shabaab member Jamal Kiyemba, while she sat in her car.

The trial was also delayed following allegations by the defendants that they were tortured by regional, US, and British law enforcement. The biggest blow for the prosecution came when Owiny-Dollo did not find any of the suspects of being guilty of being al-Shabaab members. Another blow came with the acquittal of five more suspects, including Omar Awadh Omar, who is believed to have funded the whole operation.

It took six years for justice to be served for the Kampala bombing, but Uganda realizes it remains a prime target for al-Shabaab.   Uganda has firmly stated they will not be defeated by terrorism, and will continue their support of the AU until al-Shabaab is destroyed.

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