Three Kenyans charged over Kampala bomb attacks

KAMPALA

A Ugandan court on Friday charged three Kenyans over the Kampala bombings, the first such cases opened against suspects in the July 11 suicide attacks.

Hussein Hassan Agad, Mohamed Adan Abdow and Idris Magondu were charged before a Kampala magistrate's court, but did not enter a plea.

They face 61 counts of murder for those killed while watching the World Cup final at the Kyadondo Rugby Club in the east of the Ugandan capital and 15 counts for those killed at an Ethiopian restaurant.

Mr Mogandu, 42, is an employee of Flexible Trading Company based in Nairobi and hails from the sprawling Kawangware estate, while

Mr Agad, 27, lives in Athi River while Mr Abdow, 25, a hails from Tawa in Makueni.

At 3. 35 p.m., the three men appeared before  chief magistrate Deo  Sejjemba, who asked the suspects whether they understood English.

Mr Abdow said he only understood Kiswahili and an interpreter was immediately made available.

“You are charged with 79 offences, I will summarise and read them to you, your work is to listen and say nothing because this Court has no Jurisdiction over the offences. You will be allowed to answer to the charges before a High Court judge who will try you on the matter,” Sejjemba said.

Prosecution led by Joan Kagezi, Principal State Attorney from the Director of Public Prosecution, said the men on July 11, 2010 committed the offence of terrorism, murder  and attempted murder in three separate places- Kyadondo Rugby Club  Lugogo in Nakawa division, Ethiopian Village Restaurant in  Kabalagala, Makindye  Division  and Makindye House, a popular hangout place in the same area.

The State Prosecutor said investigations into the matter were still going on and the Magistrate remanded the men to Luzira Maximum Prison until August 27.

Security sources said the three men were  part of the inner ring of terrorists who were involved in moving the bomb blast materials from Kenya to Uganda having received them from the Somalia based al- Shabaab militants.

They were reportedly involved in recruiting the suicide bombers who  executed the grisly bomb blasted that killed football lovers and inflamed emotions in the country.

According to security agents, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is sensitive, the three suspects reportedly helped establish Al-Shabab operations in Uganda. After the bomb attacks, al Shabaab claimed responsibility of the Kampala attack.

Two of the  suspects were Christians but were radicalised after embracing Islam.

“Hassan Agade and Magondu were Christians. The terrorists use them because they understand Christian behaviour and can hide in that knowledge to elude security,” said a senior officer familiar with the investigations.

Additional reporting by AFP