TikToker arrested over Kasese school raid video
Shop attendant Resto Kalenzi at Lugazi Central Police station following his arrest over a TikTok video in which he claimed he was a member of the ADF rebels that is suspected to have raided a school in Kasese District on June 16, 2023. PHOTO/ COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Resto Kalenzi, a shop attendant was arrested in Lugazi town following the video that went viral on TikTok
Police have arrested a 25-year-old shop attendant who filmed himself and posted on TikTok a video recording, claiming he’s one of the assailants who raided Lhubiriha Secondary School in Mpondwe town, Kasese District in western Uganda.
The Friday night attack that has been blamed on members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia based in eastern DR Congo left 37 students and five other members of the community killed.
The 11:30pm attack also left about six students and several other community members abducted, according to police.
Resto Kalenzi, a resident of Namengo village, Lugazi Municipality in Buikwe District was arrested on Tuesday in an operation led by the district police commander, John Lukooto and the crime intelligence officer, ASP Catherine Alupo.
His arrest followed a recording that went viral on the Chinese short-form video hosting service owned by ByteDance, in which he claimed he was a member of the ADF that had staged the attack, according to police.
“The suspect has been detained at Lugazi Central Police Station as investigations are ongoing,” said Ssezibwa region police spokesperson, SP Hellen Butoto.
