Uganda foils bomb plot at Lion of Mogadishu’ funeral

A suspected suicide bomber has been arrested in Uganda for planning to blow up mourners at the funeral of an army commander known as “the Lion of Mogadishu”.

Maj-Gen Paul Lokech earned his nickname from the time he headed the African Union force in Somalia (Amisom) in the mid-2000s.He is credited with flushing out al-Shabab Islamist militants from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Amisom said he would be remembered as a “towering icon in the fight against armed militants” and that he left behind a legacy that would never be forgotten.

The 55-year-old, who was serving as deputy inspector general of the police, died of a blood clot at his home on Saturday.

President Yoweri Museveni had been expected to attend Friday’s funeral service in the northern district of Pader.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday afternoon at a guest house near Pader in a joint operation by the security agencies.

Army spokesperson Flavia Byekwaso said he was found with an assortment of bomb-making material, including bomb bags, suicide vests, detonators, wire cutters and ammonium sulphate.His alleged accomplices had been identified and an operation was ongoing to find them, she said.