Barnabas: News in brief – Uganda, Iran, Indonesia

UGANDA: “TERRORIST THREAT” AGAINST CHURCHES IN KAMPALA

The United States has warned of a “specific terrorist threat” against churches and other places of worship in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

Its embassy there said that it had received intelligence that a group of attackers may be preparing to strike in May or June.

No group was named, but the Islamist group al-Shabaab has carried out numerous attacks on churches and other targets in neighbouring Kenya in retaliation for its sending troops into Somalia to fight the Islamist militants.

Uganda is also part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), along with Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti and Sierra Leone.

IRAN: JAILED PASTOR AND OTHER PRISONERS COMPLAIN ABOUT RAID INVESTIGATION

Pastor Farshid Fathi and 25 other prisoners who were subjected to a brutal raid on their ward by prison guards last month have filed a complaint with Tehran’s Attorney General about the way the incident is being investigated.

The letter claims that the investigators are deliberately assisting the attackers by refusing to document evidence from prisoners and their families and failing to meet with wounded prisoners and impartial officials. It says, “They have only wasted time in the past ten days so that beaten prisoners’ wounds heal and evidences fade away.”

The inmates of ward 350 of Evin prison call for their attackers to be held accountable.

INDONESIA: CHURCH ALMOST DESTROYED IN ARSON ATTACK

A church was almost destroyed in an arson attack that took place just before a Sunday service.

The incident in a rural area of Kinali district, West Sumatra province, happened on 4 May.

An assailant entered the building and doused the front of the church with kerosene before setting it alight. Church members saw smoke coming from the building, and the fire was extinguished. Significant damage was caused to the interior.

– barnabas team