Authorities increase security in Kampala in response to recent terror alert

According to reports on 7 October 2008, authorities have increased security in Kampala in response to a terror alert issued by security forces on 2 October. There is an increased security presence at government buildings and foreign embassies, as well as in public places, including at hotels, taxi stands, bus stations, shopping malls and markets. Reports indicate that the increased measures include body, luggage and vehicle searches. A hotline has also been set up for the public to report suspicious activity. The Ugandan police issued the alert on 2 October in response to threats of possible terrorist attacks by groups associated with al-Qaeda; authorities, however, did not specify the nature of threats that prompted the alert. The move comes two weeks after Kenyan authorities confiscated a laptop belonging to Fazul Abdul Mohammed, the suspected mastermind behind the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.