Rwanda police arrest suspects with ties to IS

Rwanda has apprehended several people suspected to have ties to the Islamic State, according to Reuters news agency.

The arrests come less than a week after a Rwandan Muslim cleric was arrested and shot by police when he tried to escape.

The cleric, Muhammad Mugemangango, is alleged to have been recruiting youths in the outskirts of the capital Kigali to join Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Mugemangango, a deputy imam at Kimironko Mosque, is said to have been under investigations for radicalization.

Furthermore, police say they have been able to identify other suspects from evidence obtained from the cleric. Among the evidence seized is preaching materials encouraging Jihad in the form of books and CDs.

In addition, the country’s main Muslim community has come out to back the police and the country in the fight against terrorism.

The Rwandan Muslim Community strongly condemned the acts of Mugemangango and further warned the Muslim community not to involve themselves in terror groups in the name of Islam.

Despite its neighbours suffering from a wave of attacks from terror groups, Rwanda has not experienced any form of terror attacks.