Rwanda arrests 13 on terrorism charges

By Ferdinand Maniraguha

Rwanda National Police has arrested 13 people including one woman suspected of planning terrorist attacks in the city of Kigali.

Those arrested were arraigned before the media in the capital Kigali this Friday, October 1, 2021.

Rwanda police on Twitter said those people were arrested from different parts of the country.

They are linked to  Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) that is affiliated to ISIS. ADF is based in North Kivu, East of The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The suspects were arrested with different improvised explosive devices (IEDs) materials that include; wires, nails, phones, explosives and videos for radicalization.

Among the prime targets are some buildings in the capital Kigali, including Kigali City Tower, Downtown Mall and some buildings near Nyabugogo National bus park.

It is alleged the suspects  planned attacks in retaliation to Rwanda’s deployment in Mozambique, where Rwandan soldiers went to help Mozambican army in fighting insurgents in Northern Cabo Delgado Province.

Recently ISIS Africa branch has claimed  Rwanda is an enemy ‘Christian country’.

Suspects are of Rwandan origin and most of them are Muslims.