Grenade attacks: Police hold suspects

KIGALI - The Rwanda National Police (RNP) is holding a number of suspects alleged to be part of Sunday night grenade attacks in Kigali city but has declined to reveal details of the arrests. The attacks left more than 16 people injured most of them sustaining minor injuries. Only seven were still admitted at Kigali University Hospital (CHUK) by the time we went to press. In a telephone interview yesterday with the Police spokesman, Inspector Willy Marcel Higiro, he confirmed that RNP had arrested a number of suspects but refused to give details. “Yes, the police arrested some suspects but I am not revealing details to you, it is now strictly police work,” Higiro told The New Times. The spokesman had earlier told local media that there is a possibility that the attacks could be linked to operations by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan militia based in eastern DR Congo. But when asked details about the possible links of the attacks to FDLR, Higiro said: “Those are speculations, the attacks can be linked to anything, let us wait for the outcome of the investigations.” The attacks took place at the Kinamba Two junction, on the way to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre, and the second attack was at a bar called Six Heures a Six Heures less than a kilometre from the first scene of the first attack. The two attacks took place at about 8:30 in the evening. Meanwhile, most of the seven victims of the attacks still lying at CHUK expressed hope that they would soon recover, except one of them, Jean Damascene Ndamyumugabe, both of whose legs were seriously injured. One of the nurses who were attending to him last evening said that his bones were hurt. “It is always difficult to heal when bones are injured,” Albert Nzayisenga said. During the Genocide commemoration week in April, a grenade was thrown at the Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi, killing a policeman guarding the centre. No arrests were made for that attack. Ends