Uganda charges 3 people for bombings

Uganda has charged three people in connection with the bomb blasts that erupted in an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby center in Kampala earlier this month, killing some 76 people, a government official said Friday.

The Al-Shabaab militant group, which is currently battling the weak transitional government in war-torn Somalia, has claimed responsibility for the July 11 bombings, which happened during the World Cup finals. Members of the group have said they were acting in retaliation for Uganda's contribution of troops for peacekeeping operations in Somalia, which has been at war for nearly two decades.

The three people charged were extradited from Kenya, Fred Opolot, an official with the Ugandan government, told CNN, though he cautioned they were not necessarily citizens of Kenya. He said all three had been charged with terrorism, murder and attempted murder. Opolot declined to provide their names, and said he did not know when a trial might take place.

"Several people have been interrogated, and we expect more charges," Opolot said.

Authorities in Uganda and Kenya previously said they had made more than 20 arrests in connection with the blasts, which police say were likely set off by suicide bombers.

(CNN)