From: Leo Odera Omolo
THE Police yesterday released reconstructed photos of the two men believed to be the suicide bombers who carried out last Sunday’s deadly twin bomb blasts in the city that claimed 76 lives and left more than 50 others injured.
The front view of the suspected Ugandan bomber, upper right is the side view of the suspected Ugandan bomber. And below, the front view of the suspected Somali bomber and bottom right is the side view the suspected Somali bomber
The photos, portraying how the suspects could have looked like, were reconstructed using computer technology from the two heads of the suspected suicide bombers recovered from the Ethiopian Village Restaurant, Kabalagala and Kyadondo Rugby Club, Lugogo.
Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura described the reconstruction as a major achievement which would bolster investigations.
Both Interpol and the American Bureau of Investigations (FBI) he said, had accepted to upload the reconstructed photographs of the suspects on their websites, which he said will help with identification.
Kayihura released two hotlines–– 0800299991 and 080019908 and appealed to the public to volunteer any information on the two, saying such information would be treated with confidentiality.
In addition, he said, the public could volunteer information by way of short message services (SMS) to 999.
Kayihura added that such information could also be sent to the Police website on www.upf.co.ug/comments/php.
Lots of useful evidence, he said, had been collected by all agencies taking part in the investigations and he was optimistic that it would lead to a breakthrough.
“I call on any person who was at the scenes or vicinity and could have taken photos or video before or after the blasts to share them with the Police,” Kayihura said.
One of the beamed images was dark, while the other bore strong characteristics of a Somali.
Ends
“Our suspicion that these could be the suicide bombers behind the attacks is based on the fact that whereas all other bodies were identified and claimed by the relatives, these two, which were also clearly recognisable have not been reclaimed,” he said, adding that one head was recovered from Kyadondo and the other from Kabalagala.
The Police chief said there was overwhelming evidence, pointing to the fact that the blasts were executed with “strong external or foreign influence.”
Explaining the double blasts at the rugby club, Kayihura said, one bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber and the second was planted under the table.
“Whereas the first killed a lot of people, the second did not,” he said.
The Police, he said, was holding more than 20 suspects, among them some Pakistani nationals who were arrested in connection with an e-mail that linked one of them to the al-Shabaab.
One of the Pakistani had been mentioned in an email sent by a presumed al-Shabaab as having links with the Islamist group.
The e-mail seen by The New Vision claimed that there was an al-Shabaab operative residing on Bukoto Street in Kamwokya, Kampala.
A New Vision team visited the place on Saturday before the arrests and discovered there was a house with a tall fence reinforced with barbed wires.
Some of the occupants were armed. They declined to comment on the claims in the e-mail, saying the issues were sensitive security matters.
“We cannot at this point say that they were directly linked to the attacks but we are investigating,” Kayihura said yesterday.
“I cannot give the exact figure because our men are in the field and more arrests are being carried out while others, upon interrogation, are released if the investigators find nothing linking them to the incidents.”
He added that four Ethiopians, who had earlier been picked in relation to the Makindye explosives, had be released.
Kayihura said security had been reinforced and said the African Union summit will proceed as scheduled. He added that the Police, would be backed up by the army and sister security agencies to secure the conference