Uganda arrests another terror suspect

By Simon Masaba 
                         
Police are holding another terror suspect arrested from a Christian Born-Again crusade in a city suburb.

Police has over the past two weeks been on a hunt for at least four suspected terrorists who reportedly sneaked into Uganda from Kenya. Police last a week ago arrested a suspected terrorist only identified as Hussein, but he isn't among the four wanted terrorists.

The Police last Thursday arrested another suspected, Tesfalolet Desta, at the Uganda Gospel Jubilee Crusade organised by Evangelist Reinhard  Bonnke's Christ for all Nations last Thursday in Kikoni, a densely populated city suburb.

The south African-based Evangelist Bonnke didn't attend the event, which was instead presided over by another international evangelist Daniel Kolenda and John Darku, who heads Christ for all Nations in Africa.

 Police suspect Tesfalolet .Y. Desta to be either an Eritrean or Somali national. He is said to have come to Uganda from Kenya.

Police became suspicious when he was sighted at a Christian crusade and yet he appeared to be a Somali who are predominantly Muslims.

 The Wandegeya Police boss, Godfrey Achiria confirmed the arrest and said that Desta was only found in possession of a mobile phone and documents written in Arabic.

 "The case is with Counter Terrorism Department.  Who are investigating the matter," Achiria said.

"It is not usual to see a Somali or Eritrean attending a crusade of Christians. This raised Police's eye brows prompting his arrest," Achiria said.

 Although Police suspected him to be a Somali, he claimed to be an Eritrean national. But he had no passport to confirm his nationality.  

According to New Vision's sister newspaper, Bukedde, there was problem communicating with Desta since he doesn't speak or understand English.

Desta did not have any documents to show he was in Uganda legally and the documents on him were in Arabic which Police could not read prompting his arrest.

The four suspected terrorists believed to have sneaked into Uganda recently were identified as Martin Muller alias Ahmed Khaled Andreas; Emrah Erdogan Alias Imraan and AL-Kurdy Alias Salahaddin AL-Kurdy. A fourth suspect who is believed to have sneaked into the country on board a Kalita bus from Kenya hasn't been named. Whereas Muller is German, Erdogan is German of Turkish origin.

The Police have issued security alert and circulated photographs. They have also heightened security in the Capital City as well as other urban areas.