Ugandan pop star vows to fight on after arriving from US

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda's pop star politician Bobi Wine vowed Thursday to continue his fight for more freedom in the country "or we shall die trying," shortly after security forces took him into custody on his arrival from the United States after treatment for alleged torture.

The opposition lawmaker, who has emerged as a popular voice against longtime President Yoweri Museveni, one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, was "unlawfully detained by military officers," his U.S.-based lawyer Robert Amsterdam said on Twitter. National police chief Okoth Ochola, however, said he was taken to his home but was not under arrest.

The singer, who faces a treason charge that he denies, was driven to his residence outside the capital, Kampala, where hundreds of youthful supporters cheered and chanted as he climbed on top of a car and raised his fist.

"I didn't know where they were taking me," he later told reporters, describing security forces on his arrival. "They just grabbed me."

Bobi Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, had sought treatment in the U.S. for injuries allegedly sustained during torture after arrest last month by members of the presidential guard, which Uganda's government denies.

The singer, who won a national assembly seat last year, faces treason charges over his alleged role in an incident in which the president's convoy was pelted with stones. He denies wrongdoing and faces a court appearance Oct. 1.

Ahead of his return to Uganda, security forces set up barriers near the airport and elsewhere around the capital amid heavy security. Police detained his brother and at least two other people who were driving to the airport, without explanation, lawyer Asuman Basalirwa said.

Longtime opposition leader Kizza Besigye, arrested many times over the years, said on Twitter that it is likely Ssentamu "will now be blockaded at home till further notice."