The United States is warning its citizens in Kampala, Uganda that it is assessing reports that a “Westgate-style attack” may soon happen in the country’s capital.
That’s a reference to the terrorist siege of the Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi last month.
“Embassy officials are sharing all information with the Ugandan authorities,” the U.S. embassy in Kampala said. “At this time, there is no further information on timing and/or location of this attack.”
Uganda police confirmed that it received the embassy alert to the Daily Monitor. It “has since triggered a deluge of emergency security measures,” the Ugandan news agency said.
Because of the information, Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura has created a committee of private security contractors to review security procedures at all public places.
Additionally, police issued new guidelines on Wednesday night, including frisking people as they enter public space and sifting through baggage, said Judith Nabakooba, a spokeswoman for the police.
Police and the contractors met earlier in the week to go over details of operation procedures in emergency situations. Meanwhile, guards were instructed to begin using K-9 teams, install walk-through metal detectors, and look for bombs under cars.
Members of Al-Shabab reportedly accessed weapons from inside the Westgate Mall by storing them there in advance. The prolonged attack on the mall left 72 dead and has prompted a review of security procedures in Kenya.
Al-Shabab also took advantage of lax screening when they in 2010 attacked Kampala with two bombs, killing more than 80 people.
The reasons for the attacks, the terrorist group says, is because Ugandan and Kenyan troops are among the forces driving them out of areas in Somalia.
In its alert, the U.S. embassy in Kampala added: “The embassy will continue to alert U.S. citizens to any credible, specific information about this and any other potential threats. We again take this opportunity to remind the community to exercise vigilance and to avoid public venues that attract large crowds.”
