UGANDA: 83 arrested at Entebbe airport on way to Syria

By Martin Ssebuyira.

The police have stopped 83 Ugandans from travelling to war-torn Syria where they were expected to serve as security guards.

The men, aged between 20 and 35 years, were intercepted at Entebbe International Airport on Tuesday as they waited to board a plane to Nairobi, Kenya. According to the Entebbe airport chief detective, Mr Tinka Zarugaba, the police’s suspicion was aroused by the “weird” looks of many of the travellers. He did not explain what exactly was strange about the men.

“The fact that they were a large group also caused concern. When we asked them where they were headed, they told us they were travelling to Kenya for a workshop,” said Mr Zarugaba.

He said the police were not convinced and decided to interrogate them further. It was during the questioning that they said their leader, a 33-year-old man, was taking them to guard an American-owned petroleum company based in Syria.

The group’s leader, whose name has been withheld for legal reasons, told the police that another person had contacted him to recruit 82 people - preferably ex-Iraq guards - to go and serve in Syria. He explained that the preference for guards who served in Iraq was because they are American-trained and would therefore fit the bill of protecting an American-owned installation in Syria.

Arranged

The man also indicated that whereas they did not have Visas to Syria, he had an arrangement with a security company in Kenya to process the documents once the group arrived in Nairobi.

Syria has been embroiled in conflict for the past two years as rebels try to topple President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The Syrian army has been deployed to quell the uprising that has the backing of the West and hundreds have been killed.

Besides the security concerns, Mr Zarugaba said the group lacked clearance from the labour ministry and security agencies. By yesterday evening, the suspect had been transferred to the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka for further interrogation.

Source: Daily Monitor (09/05/2013): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/80-arrested-at-Entebbe-airport-on-way-to-Syria/-/688334/1846624/-/ibod00z/-/index.html