Police dismisses reports of rebels in Kabale
Aug 06, 2014
POLICE has said an incident in which unknown gunmen attacked a private hotel in Kabale, killing one person was a targeted crime, dismissing media reports of a rebel attack
By Steven Candia
POLICE has said an incident in which unknown gunmen attacked a private hotel in Kabale, killing one person was a targeted crime, dismissing media reports of a rebel attack. The police also dismissed as alarmist reports that Kyegegwa police station was raided by 10 gunmen.
Police spokesman Fred Enanga on Wednesday said preliminary investigations indicate that the incident at Little Ritz Hotel in Kabale was an ordinary and targeted crime.
Information available, he said, strongly suggests that the attack on the hotel which left a receptionist at the hotel –Lawrence Twinomuhangi dead could have been carried out by disgruntled lovers.
He said it was clear that the attackers were targeting two women who had returned to the hotel at about 4:00am with their new lovers. The women, he said, earlier in the night gone partying with their new lovers and had just returned to the hotel before retiring to their rooms when the attack occurred.
“The information we are getting is that some people had been stalking these women for some time and that one of the stalkers had even threatened one of the women with violence,” Enanga said.
An unknown number of armed gunmen are said to have stormed the hotel and demanded that reception and demanded that the receptionist discloses the rooms the women were in but he declined, prompting them to shoot him, Enanga said.
The gunmen are then said to have moved to the corridors and started shooting sporadically. Kigezi region police spokesperson Elly Maate said four suspects were being held in connection with the incident.
He declined to divulge their identities.
“They are the ones who first walked into the hotel before the attackers so we arrested them to help us with investigations,” Maate said.
“We will give you all the information at an appropriate time,” he said adding that the suspects were being interrogated.
Police, Enanga said, is also hunting for Mark Ayinebyona who allegedly at one time threatened one of the two women with violence.
On the alleged attack on Kyegegwa, Enanga dismissed them as false and alarmist.
“I have spoken to the District Police Commander and there is nothing like that. Those reports are just alarmist and we are asking what the motive is,” he said.
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