Ugandan authorities have uncovered a “terrorist cell” run by the Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabaab, which they believe was planning an imminent attack, the US embassy in Uganda said on Saturday.  “At this point we are not aware of specific targets, and the Ugandan authorities have increased security at key sites, including Entebbe International Airport,” the embassy said in a statement on its website.  Uganda, as one of the countries that contribute forces to an African Union peacekeeping mission battling al-Shabaab in Somalia, has suffered militant attacks in recent years, and al-Shabaab has threatened more.  The US embassy, shortly before issuing its announcement, told its citizens in a message posted on Twitter, to stay at home or proceed to a safe location while Ugandan authorities completed operations against a suspected cell in Kampala.  Ugandan authorities are conducting operations against a suspected terrorist cell in Kampala.  Ugandan police said security was being stepped up at hotels and public places.  “We’re increasing patrols in the city, major towns and other vulnerable places,” Fred Enanga, a spokesman, told a press conference in Kampala.  Al-Shabaab, which is aligned with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya a year ago, in which 67 people died.  This month the group warned of revenge against its enemies after it said its leader Ahmed Godane had been killed in a US air strike on his encampment in Somalia.  In 2010, al-Shabaab bombed sports bars in Uganda where people were watching the soccer World Cup on television.  The US embassy said Uganda faced a “continued threat”. It has issued other alerts during the year about possible attacks.
Warning message posted on Twitter and embassy website as ‘Ugandan authorities’ uncover 'imminent’ terrorist attack and increase security