The High Court in Kampala on\r\nThursday 26, May 2016 convicted 8 people suspected of having masterminded the\r\nJuly 2010 Lugogo twin blasts that killed over 70 people who were watching World\r\nCup finals.
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The trial Judge of the case, Hon.\r\nJustice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo ruled that Mr. Issa Luyima, Mr. Hussein Hassan\r\nAgade, Mr. Idris Magondu, Mr. Hassan Haruna Luyima, Mr. Muhammad Ali Muhammad, Mr.\r\nHabib Njoroge Seleman, Mr. Hijjar Nyamandondo and Mr. Muzafalu Luyima had been\r\nfound guilty of terrorism, murder, attempted murder and being an accessory to\r\nterrorism.
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Hon. Justice Owiny-Dollo said that\r\nevidence by the prosecution side had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the\r\naccused had planned and orchestrated the mission to bomb Uganda killing 76\r\npeople who were watching football at Lugogo rugby grounds and Ethiopian village\r\nrestaurant in Kabalagala.
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"I find the 8 people guilty of the\r\ncharges and convict them as charged,” ruled the Hon. Judge.
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He explained that evidence adduced\r\nindicated that they had got special training in Somalia for the mission,\r\nreturned to Uganda with explosives, identified targets and then assembled the\r\nexplosives before detonating them on the fateful day, July 11, 2010 whereas\r\nanother explosive failed to go off at Makindye house.
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"Each of them was actively involved\r\nin the mission at different levels and times. It does not matter that they did\r\nnot carry it out at the same time but had a consensus on what they desired to\r\ndo,” Owiny-Dollo said.
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"They all played a part in planning,\r\nsurveillance, delivery of explosives and their detonation which clearly\r\nmanifested that they were thorough and determined in carrying out the mission.”
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He noted that evidence brought indicated\r\nthat after being trained, they were determined to punish Uganda for her\r\ndeployment in Somalia under the AMISOM adding that they now hatched plans on\r\nhow to orchestrate their mission.
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According to the Judge, they\r\ntargeted places of vulnerability where many people could be targeted so as to\r\ninflict pain adding that these placed the explosives in the middle of the\r\npublic places well aware that death was inevitable in case of detonation.
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5 Acquitted
\r\nThe Hon. Judge however, acquitted Mr. Omar Awadh Omar, Mr. Suleiman Mbuthia,\r\nMr. Muhammad Hamid Muhammad, Dr.Ismael Kalule and Mr. Abubaker Batemyeto whom\r\nhe said had no evidence on record pinning them .He said that these were free to return home for there were no charges against them in\r\nrelation to the July 2010 Kampala twin blasts.
Posted 27th, May 2016
