Ugandan Police Issue Terror Alert

Alert Follows Warning From U.S. Embassy.

The Ugandan police Friday issued a red terror alert, a few days after the U.S. embassy in Uganda warned that Kampala could face a terror attack similar to last month’s siege at Nairobi’s Westgate mall.

“The alertness has been raised to class one,” said deputy police spokesman Patrick Onyango, adding that police have been sharing information about the threats with the U.S. embassy.

It is the first time the police in Uganda have issued a red terror alert since the July 2010 terror attacks in Kampala, in which 79 people were killed. Somalia’s al Qaeda, which is affiliated with the al-Shabaab militants, claimed responsibility for the 2010 twin bomb blasts.

All police officers on leave in Uganda have been recalled, while all leave requests have been suspended “until further notice,” Mr. Onyango said.

The U.S. embassy in Kampala said on its website Tuesday that it “continues to assess reports that a Westgate-style attack may soon occur in Kampala.” But the embassy said there is no “further information on timing, or the potential target of this attack.”

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):