A woman released from military custody in 2023 was the suicide bomber aiming to attack faithfuls attending Martyrs Day Celebrations in Kampala, Uganda, the military has said.
The woman, whom we will only identify as Katushabe, was previously arrested by Ugandan security forces in October of 2023 over alleged ties to the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State.
However, she was released from custody due to a lack of evidence to prosecute. "We didn't have sufficient evidence. This should show you that Uganda's security and justice systems try to be fair. But today we've been vindicated- she was a terrorist,” the Uganda military said.
Katushabe was neutralised by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) on Tuesday, June 3, on her way to Martyrs' Day celebrations. She was intercepted some 600 metres from her ultimate target, the Munyonyo Basilica, where the faithful were gathering for celebrations.
Two people, including the alleged bomber, died when explosives detonated during the early morning operation, according to Col Chris Magezi, acting Director of Defence Public Information.
"At around 8:30am, we intercepted a suicide bomber 600 metres from the ultimate target. We engaged them, and the explosive she was wearing went off. The rider also died."
President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni later attended the main celebrations in Namugongo at the Anglican shrine, which was over 30 kilometres away from the blast site.
A small congregation had assembled for morning prayers at Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine in anticipation of the national Martyrs' Day celebrations, Uganda's biggest yearly religious occasion, when the explosion happened.
Magezi described intercepting the attacker, saying, "They aimed to hit a massive gathering. It was not their choice to detonate at that place. Some bullets were discharged. Our actions caused the explosives to go off. It was not voluntary. Sometimes, they prefer to die instead of being captured."
Katushabe was the daughter of a suicide bomber who set himself off at Kampala Central Police Station and the widow of another ADF suspect who was killed by counterterrorism forces in 2021 after he had planned to bomb mourners, according to the authorities.
"These are strong ADF links we had been monitoring. Intelligence knew the group was planning to attack pilgrims," Magezi said, adding that another suspect had been arrested days earlier with a laptop and ammunition, providing "useful information" that helped avert a larger attack.
According to Col Magezi, the identity and relationship of the person who registered the motorbike used in the failed bombing, Musana Yusuf, to the suspects are still being investigated.
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