Grenade suspects denied bail

KIGALI - Nyarugenge Intermediate Court, yesterday, denied bail to the 29 suspects accused of detonating several grenades and landmines across the country. Judge Harrison Mutabazi said that he found ‘a significant flight risk’, among other reasons, for denying the release of the suspects. “Prosecution clearly indicated that the accused either executed terror acts or acknowledged awareness of such acts but never reported them to the authorities,” he said. Mutabazi added that the evidence presented against the suspects was overwhelmingly compelling to suggest that the suspects might have been involved in terrorist activities. During the bail hearing, the majority of the defendants admitted direct involvement in executing the attacks, while others claimed to have had prior knowledge of the attacks, but weren’t directly involved in the execution. The suspects will now stay behind bars as the prosecution intensifies investigations on the high profile criminal case before it starts in substance. Speaking to The New Times after the ruling, Mutabazi said the case has now been forwarded to the High Court.According to the law, cases involving terrorism can only be tried in substance by the High Court at first instance. Prosecution had accused the suspects of supporting a terrorist network, recruiting and belonging to a terrorist group, planning and executing activities aimed at causing state insecurity and mass murder. Prosecution had also told the court that the network of the people behind the grenade attacks are based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and acted in cohort with Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Ends

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Grenade suspects denied bail