A man has been arrested by Ugandan security after making an Improvised Explosive Device(IED) that later "accidentally" exploded injuring him in Kampala.
The man, identified as Collins Mugabe, was a resident of Banda zone 2 , Nakawa Division in Kampala .
"Our teams were alerted by locals after one of the IEDs that Mugabe had manufactured went off when he mistakenly tampered with it," police spokesperson, Fred Enanga told journalists on Monday.
He explained that when the locals alerted police of the explosion that went off after 9pm, security cordoned off the home and during the day, a thorough search was carried out at the home leading to the recovery of another homemade bomb as well as other bomb making materials.
Among the materials allegedly found in the house include jerricans of nitric acid, methanol, ethanol, potassium nitrate, several wires, notes and text books on bomb making.
"We are interrogating him to establish his link to any of the terror groups and any potential targets on Ugandans," Enanga said.
He however applauded locals for alerting security following the explosion but noted this incident serves as a reminder of the need t be vigilant by everyone.
"This incident further shows our resolve as security to deal with any form of terrorism towards out country."
The development comes on the backdrop of an alert by the UK High Commission to its citizens of an imminent terror attack on Uganda.
The terror alert however didn't indicate the places being targeted and when the attacks would happen but warned citizens against places frequented by foreigners and any public places.
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The recovery of a homemade bomb and other materials is an issue of concern since all the attacks on the county have been carried out using Improvised Explosive Devices made out of locally available materials.
These are materials readily available on the Ugandan market for anyone and there it makes it difficult to detect when one intends to use them for explosive making.
Ugandan security including the Police Crime Intelligence Directorate and the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence have in the past two or so years since the twin blasts in Kampala at CPS and Parliamentary Avenue in November 2021 targeted sleeper cells by the Allied Democratic Forces(ADF) group which was recently designated as a terrorist outfit by the US.
Several suspected ADF members and agents have either being killed or arrested whereas several guns have been recovered and the cells busted.
