Rwanda arrests army officer over ‘attack plot’

KIGALI, Wednesday

Rwandan police said on Wednesday they had arrested a senior army officer and five other suspects for plotting attacks on political leaders and key infrastructure projects.

The six were arrested after crossing over from their base in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and are linked to former army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa and ex-defence minister Emmanuel Habyarimana, the police said.

“The arrested terrorist criminals revealed their plans to commit acts of terror in Rwanda from their bases in Eastern DRC,” a police statement said, naming the leader of the group as Col Norbert Ndererimana.

“They were to target high populated areas, fuel storage facilities and fuel transport vehicles, national leaders as well as diplomats.” Nyamwasa and Habyarimana are both leading opponents of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and live in exile.

On Monday, a Rwanda court postponed the trial of opposition figure Victoire Ingabire until September 5, after her lawyers asked for more time to prepare, officials said.

“The Kigali High Court has adjourned the criminal case against Victoire Ingabire and her four co-accused until September 5, 2011.

This decision followed a request Victoire Ingabire made... to postpone the trial so that she and her lawyers could finish their preparations,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Monday’s is the second postponement. The trial had initially been supposed to kick off on May 16.

“Ingabire asked for extra time to work on her file with her lawyers,” Charles Kaliwabo, a spokesman for the Rwandan courts said.

Ingabire is charged with “giving financial support to a terrorist group, planning to cause state insecurity and divisionism.”

Outspoken critic

The politician, an outspoken critic of President Kagame, has been in custody since her arrest in October.

Ingabire’s case file runs to 2500 pages and only one of her three defence counsel is proficient in the language in which it is written.

Rwandan prosecutors claim to have evidence of Ingabire’s alleged “terrorist” activities, including proof of financial transfers to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu rebel movement based in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.