Five acquitted terrorism suspects charged afresh

Clockwise: Mohammad Hamid, Omar Awadhi Omar, Abubakari Batematyo, Dr Ismail Kalule and Yahaya Mbuthia. 

Five out of the 13 men who were last week acquitted for not having participated in the deadly 2010 Kampala twin bombings have been charged afresh in a Jinja Court over terrorism related offenses.
The suspects are Omar Awadhi Omar, Mohammad Hamid Suleiman alias Abu Zainab, Abubakari Batemyeto, Dr Ismail Kalule and Yahaya Suleiman Mbuthia.
According to a police statement, signed off by the Force’s spokesperson Fred Enanga, the state alleges that the five, while at Luzira Upper Prison, created documents and materials connected with preparations to facilitate, assist or engage co-conspirators to undertake terrorist acts.

Mr Enanga said their re-investigation begun immediately after the hand-written documents and related materials were recovered from them.
According to police, the suspects were asking their colleagues [outside prison] to conduct hostile reconnaissance around security facilities and other vital installations.
According to Mr Enanga, this was in preparation for violence.
The suspects were seized and fresh evidence of the new plot that connected them to the materials recovered.
Mr Enanga on Wednesday added, that the police and sister security agencies continue to maintain vigilance to be ahead of threats of terrorism.
On Thursday last week, presiding High Court Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo acquitted the five suspects on grounds that the prosecution had failed to squarely place link them to have participated in the Kampala bombing.

The five were instead bundled on the prisons bus and taken back to Luzira prison.
Sources privy to this case said upon reaching the prisons gate, the five were grabbed by the police and taken to unknown detention center.
The police came out to say that they were holding the five for their own safety reasons on grounds that the public could harm them if they just left them to rejoin the communities.
The same court had convicted eight of the remaining suspects with five of them being sentenced to life imprisonment, two to 50 years imprisonment and one to community service of one year.